Judge denies Trump request to narrow gag order to respond to Stormy Daniels [View all]
Source: The Hill
05/09/24 4:39 PM ET
Former President Trump’s hush money judge rejected the former president’s request to narrow his gag order so he can speak publicly about porn actor Stormy Daniels now that she has completed her testimony in Trump’s ongoing criminal trial.
Trump’s gag order limits his attacks against witnesses, among others, forcing the former president to stop pummeling some of his frequent targets on social media or risk jail time.
On Thursday afternoon, hours after Daniels was excused, Trump attorney Todd Blanche argued that the witness had changed her version of events, referencing the defense’s lines of attack during cross examination. “He needs an opportunity to respond to the American people, and the reason for the gag order are over. She is no longer a witness,” Blanche said.
Merchan denied the motion from the bench, maintaining the restrictions that prevent Trump from criticizing the adult film star, one of prosecutors’ highest-profile witnesses. “That’s just not the track record,” Merchan said. “The reason why the gag order is in place to begin with is precisely because of the nature of these attacks – the vitriol.”
Read more: https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4654627-judge-denies-trump-request-to-narrow-gag-order-to-respond-to-stormy-daniels/
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