Now that Donald Trump’s hush money trial has ended with a guilty verdict, his lawyers are trying to end the gag order put in place to prevent him from criticizing witnesses, jurors and others involved in the case.
Defense lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove wrote a letter to Judge Juan Merchan on Monday, asking him to lift the gag order on the former president.
“Now that the trial has concluded, the concerns of the Administration and the Court do not justify continued restrictions on the First Amendment rights of President Trump – who remains the leading candidate in the 2024 presidential election – and the American people,” they wrote. .
The lawyers claimed a “constitutional mandate for unrestrained campaign advocacy” from the presumptive Republican nominee, citing comments made by President Joe Biden the day after the verdict; “continued public attacks” by witnesses Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels; and the June 27 presidential debate between Trump and Biden.
The gag order prohibits Trump from criticizing witnesses, anonymous jurors, court staff, prosecutors and Merchan’s family members. When Merchan issued the silence order, he noted that prosecutors had requested it “for the duration of the trial.”
The Manhattan district attorney’s office has opposed Trump’s request. Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo told Merchan in a letter Wednesday that the court “has a duty to protect the integrity of this proceeding and the due administration of justice, at a minimum through the sentencing hearing and resolution of any motions after the trial.”
As he shifts his focus to the campaign trail, Trump and his allies have gone out of their way to push the false narrative that the case is a Democratic conspiracy to damage his electoral chances.
Trump’s eagerness to name and shame was evident Friday during his first press conference after his conviction on 34 felonies. Referring to Cohen, he said: “I’m not allowed to use his name because of the gag order. But he’s a sleazebag.”
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
