Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday asked the judge who presided over his New York criminal hush money trial to lift the limited gag order that prevents him from speaking about witnesses, jurors and others associated with the case.
Defense attorney Todd Blanche said in a letter to the court that the gag order is no longer warranted since the trial has ended.
“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,” the letter said.
Blanche’s letter references “continued public attacks” by prosecution witnesses Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels, both of whom Trump has been restrained from verbally attacking. The letter also makes several arguments about politics and President Joe Biden, who has never been off-limits per the gag order.
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There was no immediate comment from the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives at his criminal trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on May 29, 2024.
Doug Mills/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
A jury found Trump guilty last week on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a 2016 hush money payment to Daniels, an adult film actress, in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
It marks the first time in history that a former U.S. president has been convicted on criminal charges.
Former President Donald Trump has requested a judge to remove restrictions on him speaking about the hush money case involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The case, which dates back to 2016, has been a source of controversy and legal battles for Trump throughout his presidency.
In 2018, it was revealed that Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, had paid Daniels $130,000 in hush money to keep quiet about an alleged affair she had with Trump in 2006. Trump has denied the affair and any involvement in the payment, but the case has continued to haunt him.
Trump’s legal team argues that the restrictions on him speaking about the case violate his First Amendment rights. They claim that he should be able to defend himself and speak freely about the allegations made against him.
The judge overseeing the case will have to weigh the First Amendment rights of Trump against the potential harm that could come from allowing him to speak freely about the case. It is a complex legal issue that will likely be closely watched by both Trump’s supporters and detractors.
If the judge does decide to remove the restrictions on Trump speaking about the case, it could open up a whole new chapter in the ongoing saga surrounding his presidency. Trump has never been one to shy away from speaking his mind, and allowing him to address the hush money case could lead to even more controversy and legal battles.
Overall, the request by Trump to remove restrictions on speaking about the hush money case is just the latest development in a long and complicated legal battle that has followed him throughout his time in office. It remains to be seen how the judge will rule on this request and what impact it will have on Trump’s future.
