Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg wants to keep gag order on Donald Trump in hush money case

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg wants to keep the gag order on Donald Trump for a while longer.

Prosecutors in Bragg's office wrote a letter to Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan on Wednesday opposing the former president’s bid to speak freely ahead of his sentencing date on July 11.

Trump, who was convicted last week of 34 counts of falsifying business records, is prohibited under the judge’s order from commenting on witnesses, jurors, court personnel or their family members.

Trump, who is the presumptive Republican nominee for president in the November election, called out the judge’s daughter for political work she did on behalf of Democrats and the Biden campaign.

The gag order did not bar Trump from criticizing Bragg or the judge.

Manhattan prosecutor Matthew Colangelo argued in a letter that the order should remain in place for the same reasons it was put in place during testimony, to “prevent actual harm to the integrity of the proceedings” which are still ongoing.

“These interests have not abated, and the court has an obligation to protect the integrity of these proceedings and the fair administration of justice at least through the sentencing hearing and the resolution of any post-trial motions,” Colangelo wrote.

On Tuesday, the former president’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, filed a request to Merchan that he lift the order so Trump can defend himself from political attacks during the campaign.

“Now that the trial is concluded, the concerns articulated by the government and the court do not justify continued restrictions on the First Amendment rights of President Trump — who remains the leading candidate in the 2024 presidential election — and the American people,” Blanche wrote in his letter to the court.

During the trial, Merchan ruled Trump violated the gag order 10 times and fined him $10,000. The judge also threatened to throw him in jail if he continued to violate the gag order.

The day after his conviction, the former president held a news conference in the lobby of Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan during which he once again spoke out about two witnesses, his former fixer Michael Cohen and adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Blanche cited several instances in which President Joe Biden or his campaign spoke about Trump’s trial and conviction.

Unless it is lifted, Blanche said, Trump would not be able to speak free of the gag order during the first presidential debate on June 27.

Defense lawyers and prosecutors intend to submit further arguments before the debate at the end of the month before Merchan rules on the issue.