Trump asks judge to terminate gag order in hush money case
CNN
Lawyers for Donald Trump asked the judge overseeing his criminal hush money case to terminate the gag order against the former president, saying it’s no longer justified since the trial is over.
Lawyers for Donald Trump asked the judge overseeing his criminal hush money case to terminate the gag order against the former president, saying it’s no longer justified since the trial is over. “Now that the trial is concluded, the concerns articulated by the government and the Court do not justify continued restrictions on the First Amendment rights of President Trump – who remains the leading candidate in the 2024 president election – and the American people,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in a letter to Judge Juan Merchan. In the letter sent Monday and made public Tuesday, Trump’s attorneys said the justification for the gag order was “to protect the integrity of this criminal proceeding and avoid prejudice to the jury.” The argument to lift the gag order is “even stronger” since President Joe Biden has publicly commented on the guilty verdict against Trump, certain witnesses have commented and a presidential debate is scheduled for later this month, the letter states. When asked about the status of the gag order, a court spokesman said, “the order is part of the court record that has been made publicly available and it speaks for itself.” The Manhattan District Attorney’s office opposed Trump’s request in a letter filed Tuesday, stating that the court still has an obligation to protect the integrity of the proceedings at least until Trump is sentenced next month.
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