Yet another attempt to muzzle former President Donald Trump has been made by a New York Appeals court. They have dismissed Trump’s appeal to lift the gag order in his hush money trial, an act that has sparked widespread debate. We’re here to dissect this blatant disregard for freedom of speech.
In a brief and poorly reasoned decision, the New York Court of Appeals chose to ignore Trump’s appeal. Their excuse was that “no substantial constitutional question is directly involved”, thus maintaining the gag order.
This decision was made despite the fact that former President Trump has been convicted and the trial portion of the case is over.
Trump’s legal team, however, isn’t backing down so easily. They’ve appealed to Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the trial, requesting him to lift the gag order now that the trial has concluded. But the Manhattan District Attorney’s office is obstinately pushing back. They want the gag order to remain until after the sentencing hearing and resolution of post-trial motions.
In short, they are doing everything possible to suppress what former President Trump can say.
Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Trump’s campaign, has made it clear that this fight is far from over. He labeled the gag order as unconstitutional and argued that it unjustly silences Trump during a crucial time in his campaign. According to Cheung, voters deserve to hear Trump’s message. As it stands now, both Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, and the Manhattan DA’s spokesperson have declined to comment further.
In May, Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. This is all linked to a scheme to conceal a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels, a porn star, during the 2016 presidential election campaign. The payment of $130,000 was intended to prevent Daniels from revealing an alleged encounter with Trump. The trial exposed a network of tampered invoices and checks, with key testimonies from figures like David Pecker, former CEO of the National Enquirer.
After a day and a half of deliberation, the jury, consisting of seven men and five women, unanimously agreed that Trump’s actions were intended to commit or cover up crimes, violating both New York state and federal campaign finance laws. Trump’s defense argued that the case was politically motivated, but the prosecutors saw it differently. They requested the gag order to prevent Trump from potentially intimidating witnesses or influencing jurors through his public statements, something he had done in previous legal matters.
Despite the gag order, Trump has often pushed its boundaries. He was fined $10,000 for multiple violations, including comments about his former attorney Michael Cohen. The judge even warned that further violations could result in imprisonment. Trump’s attorneys challenged the gag order, citing First Amendment rights, but the appellate court upheld it.
Now, with the sentencing date set for July 11, just days before the Republican nominating convention, everyone is waiting to see what comes next. Will the gag order hold? Will Trump face prison time? This convoluted legal drama is far from over and we’ll be here to keep you informed every step of the way.
Source: POTUSPaper
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