- President Trump’s New York hush money prosecutors are concerned that Trump will incite attacks on witnesses, jurors and court officials.
- On Monday, Trump’s lawyers filed papers opposing prosecutor Alvin Bragg’s request for a limited gag order.
- Defense attorneys say “tens of millions of Americans” want to hear his take on the March 25 trial.
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“Tens of millions of Americans” want to hear former President Donald Trump’s opinion on his upcoming “hush money” trial in New York, his lawyers said Monday in response to the district attorney’s proposed limited gag order. argued in a written statement against the
Manhattan prosecutors are seeking to bar the top Republican candidate from making statements that could incite attacks on witnesses, jurors or court officials.
His lawyers argue that the First Amendment protects not only speech but also those who hear that speech. New submission to judgeState Supreme Court Justice Juan Melchan.
The proposed gag would harm not just Trump, but everyone who “wants to hear President Trump’s campaign speech,” according to a filing by defense attorneys Susan Necheres and Todd Blanche. That’s what it means.
“Restrictions on President Trump’s speech would therefore cause ‘mutual’ harm to the tens of millions of Americans who listen to him,” the paper said.
“American voters have a First Amendment right to hear President Trump’s uncensored voice on all issues related to this case.”
He added, “President Trump’s political opponents have and will continue to attack President Trump based on this incident.”
“Neither the First Amendment nor the New York State Constitution allows the government to ‘allow one side of an argument to fight freestyle and require the other side to follow the rules of the Marquis of Queensberry.’ ”, citing a 1992 case law.
The judge and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg have insisted that Trump is free to say what he wants about the case, and that they just don’t want him to incite an attack. is something he warned the former president about at his arraignment about a year ago. .
Prosecutors’ gag request includes numerous quotes from Trump’s social media and speeches in which he “attacks individuals he perceives as adversaries.”
The proposed gag is tailored to a gag order in a Washington, D.C., election interference case that has already been upheld by a federal appeals court, the attorney general’s office claims.
Manhattan prosecutors allege that Trump falsified 34 business records at the Trump Organization to conceal a $130,000 hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Mr. Trump has maintained his innocence.
The payout, led by Trump’s personal lawyer at the time, Michael Cohen, silenced Daniels in the weeks before the 2016 election. But rather than being recorded as campaign spending, it was illegally disguised as a series of legal fees for Mr. Cohen, prosecutors said.
In Monday’s filing, the defense also argued that Trump did not incite attacks against witnesses, prospective jurors or court officials. They argue that a judge’s verbal warning against such behavior during Trump’s arraignment a year ago was sufficient.
Trump’s lawyers send judge Another submission on Monday It focused on Mr. Bragg’s request for anonymous jurors. They argue that Trump and his lawyers need to know the identities of potential jurors to effectively prepare for jury selection.
Using legal terminology to refer to potential jurors, Necheres and Blanche wrote that “the public will not be able to hear President Trump’s official statements, both positive and negative, about the potential conspiracy in this case since May 2023.” It does not quote a single statement.”
“The public has not identified a single instance in which President Trump has referred to jurors by name, let alone attacked or harassed them,” he added.
Marchand did not say when he would rule on the proposed gag order and jury anonymity.