New York prosecutors in the “Hush Money Case” made their opposition clear on Tuesday, June 5th, to former President Trump’s request to lift the gag order imposed after his conviction in the case, stating that the court has an “obligation to protect” the “integrity” of the legal process.
Trump’s lawyers recently wrote to the presiding judge of the Hush Money Case at the New York State Supreme Court, Judge Juan Merchan, requesting the lifting of the gag order issued against Trump, as a jury in New York last week found the former president guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records, establishing all charges.
In a letter released on Wednesday, Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan, Matthew Colangelo, responded that the judge still needs to take restrictive measures to protect the legal process of the case.
The letter, dated Tuesday, stated: “These significant matters persist, and the court has a duty to protect the integrity of the legal process and judicial fairness, at least until the sentencing hearing is held and any post-trial motions are resolved.”
“Given the conclusion of the trial, the opposition from the people of New York (plaintiffs) to any modification, even if it involves parts of the court’s order, will address the issue of whether such modifications are appropriate,” the prosecutor concluded.
Merchan initially issued a gag order against Trump on March 26, restricting him from making public statements about the jurors, witnesses, or family members of attorneys or staff involved in the case. On April 1, he issued an order expanding the scope of the prior gag order to limit Trump from commenting publicly on his daughter Loren Merchan and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s family members.
Trump has repeatedly questioned the constitutionality of these gag orders, as well as the gag orders in his other two cases.
In their request to the judge, Trump’s lawyers wrote: “Since the trial has concluded, concerns raised by the government and the court cannot serve as proper grounds to further restrict the First Amendment rights of President Trump (who remains the leading candidate in the 2024 presidential election) and the American people.”
During the trial in the New York State Supreme Court, Trump was fined $10,000 for violating the gag order.