Trump wants to eliminate the "gag order".
Donald Trump seeks to resume public rants: The former President is requesting to have the restricted gag order in the New York hush money case removed.
Trump has petitioned to have the court lift the restriction on his public statements imposed after his conviction in the hush money case. In a letter to the court, his lawyer, Todd Blanche, argued that "with the process now over, the government's and court's concerns no longer warrant further limitations on President Trump's free speech rights under the First Amendment."
Blanche referenced comments made by Trump's presidential race rivals, specifically Joe Biden, who called the election campaign a "unchartered territory" with a "convicted felon." Trump had earlier described the gag order as an assault on his freedom of speech. The prosecution has yet to respond to a request for comment.
Previously, Trump had attempted to secure a gag order from the court and was denied by Judge Juan Merchan. The order prevented him from publicly commenting on witnesses or staff involved in the case. Merchan justified the restrictions due to Trump's "long history of attacks on witnesses, investigators, prosecutors, judges, and other individuals involved in proceedings against him." Over 10,000 dollars in fines were previously imposed by Merchan for Trump's violations of the gag order. Trump had flouted the order by using his Truth Social platform to target process participants.
A New York jury returned a guilty verdict on Trump for illegal campaign financing last week. The allegations centered on falsified documents concealing payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The sentencing date is set for July 11. Trump's defense team has signaled their intent to appeal the ruling.
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In the context of his 2024 US presidential election bid, Trump has expressed frustration over the gag order imposed in the Stormy Daniels hush money case, urging Justice to reconsider its restrictions on his public speech. With Donald Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche arguing that the gag order infringes on his First Amendment rights, the former President continues to advocate for his freedoms of speech, citing comments from competitors like Joe Biden who labeled him a "convicted felon" during the election campaign.
