Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s (D) office on Monday condemned former President Trump’s recent attack on the daughter of a hush-money judge, urging the judge to extend Trump’s gag order to protect her daughter. Or requested clarification again.
“Defendant’s dangerous, violent, and reprehensible statements fundamentally threaten the integrity of these proceedings and are intended to intimidate witnesses and trial participants alike, including this court.” Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo wrote. in court papers Submitted on Monday.
Judge Juan Melchian last week ordered Trump to limit his attacks on court officials, prosecutors, jurors and witnesses as the April 15 trial in the hush-money case, Trump’s first criminal trial, approaches. A gag order was imposed.
Since the judge refused to postpone the trial, President Trump has continued to post about Marchand’s daughter, and the parties continue to argue over the scope of Trump’s restrictions and whether they apply to her. .
Mr. Bragg argued that the judge should clarify or expand the existing language to prevent Mr. Trump from attacking both the judge and Mr. Bragg’s family.The Trump campaign pushed back on their claims. My tax return on Mondayargued that such changes to the gag order would only further violate the First Amendment rights of presumptive Republican candidates.
“President Trump did not violate the gag order, and expanding the gag order would exacerbate the order’s existing and ongoing constitutional violations,” President Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche wrote. .
Prosecutors cited more than a half-dozen posts on Truth Social by the former president over the past week, including one in which he accused the judge’s daughter of hiring a progressive digital agency that has worked with the Biden-Harris campaign. It also included offensive posts.
“This issue is not complex. Family members of trial participants are strictly off-limits,” Colangelo wrote Monday.
“The defendant’s claims to the contrary suggest a dangerous sense of entitlement that incites fear and even causes physical harm to the loved ones of those who meet him in court,” he continued.
“The court immediately makes clear that the defendant is prohibited from making public statements or directing others regarding the court’s family, the district attorney, and all other individuals mentioned in the order. It should be.”
After guidance from the state Ethics Advisory Board, a judge last year rejected Trump’s request to rescind the case, citing his daughter’s employment.
Trump’s lawyers said Monday they would seek to file a new challenge “based on changed circumstances and newly discovered evidence.”
Prosecutors also asked the judge to formally warn President Trump that he will no longer have access to juror names due to his “continued harassment and vandalism.” Under the judge’s current order, Trump will have access to their names and only his lawyers will have access to their addresses.
Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with concealing hush money payments he made to a porn actress who claimed to have had an affair with him before the 2016 presidential election. Trump has denied having an affair with her and maintains her innocence.
Updated at 5:06 p.m.
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