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Now that Donald Trump’s hush money trial has ended with a guilty verdict, his lawyers are seeking to end the gag order that was 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, dated Monday, asking him to lift the gag order on the former president.
“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 presidential election — and the American people,” they wrote.
The lawyers claimed a “constitutional mandate for unrestrained campaign advocacy” by the presumptive GOP nominee, citing comments 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 bars Trump from criticizing witnesses, the anonymous jurors, court staff, prosecutors and Merchan’s family members.
The gag order bars Trump from criticizing witnesses, the anonymous jurors, court staff, prosecutors and Merchan’s family members. When Merchan handed down the gag 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 an obligation to protect the integrity of these proceedings and the fair administration of justice at least through the sentencing hearing and the resolution of any post-trial motions.”
As he reorients his focus to the campaign trail, Trump and his allies have launched an all-out effort to advance the false narrative that the case is a Democratic conspiracy to hurt his electoral chances.
Trump’s eagerness to name-and-shame was evident Friday, in his first news conference after his conviction on 34 felony counts. Referring to Cohen, he said: “I’m not allowed to use his name because of the gag order. But he’s a sleazebag.”