Trump hush money case gag order to stay in place, N.Y. appeals court rules

Two months aft his felony conviction, Donald Trump still isn’t allowed to opportunity everything he wants astir his historical hush money criminal case. After a New York appeals tribunal upheld his gag bid connected Thursday, he won’t beryllium for a while.

The state’s mid-level appellate tribunal denied nan Republican erstwhile president and existent nominee’s latest bid to assistance nan restrictions, swatting distant a last-minute statement that he’s being unfairly muzzled while Vice President Kamala Harris, his apt Democratic opponent, pits herself arsenic an ex-prosecutor taking connected a “convicted felon.”

A five-judge sheet ruled that proceedings Judge Juan M. Merchan was correct successful keeping parts of nan gag bid until Trump is sentenced because nan lawsuit is still pending and his condemnation doesn’t represent a alteration successful circumstances that would warrant lifting it.

“The adjacent management of justness needfully includes sentencing,” nan judges wrote.

The gag bid bars Trump from speaking retired astir members of nan prosecution team, tribunal staffers aliases their families, including Merchan’s daughter, a Democratic governmental advisor who has been nan target of Trump’s wrath successful nan past.

In June, Merchan lifted a prohibition connected Trump publically commenting astir witnesses and jurors successful nan case, and he has ever been free to speak straight astir nan judge and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, an elected Democrat whose agency prosecuted nan case.

Trump is scheduled to beryllium sentenced connected Sept. 18, but nan lawsuit and nan gag bid could beryllium terminated earlier that if Merchan grants a defense petition to propulsion retired his condemnation successful ray of nan Supreme Court’s statesmanlike immunity ruling. He said he plans to norm connected Sept. 6.

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche and a spokesperson for nan Manhattan territory attorney’s agency declined to remark connected Thursday’s ruling.

The ruling came a time aft Blanche tried to record papers asking nan appeals tribunal to instantly assistance nan gag order. With its determination imminent, nan tribunal rejected nan filing, which had called nan restrictions an “unconstitutional, election-interfering” muzzle connected Trump’s free reside while he seeks to return to nan White House.

In a transcript of nan prospective filing provided to The Associated Press, Blanche wrote that Harris’ caller introduction into nan statesmanlike title had fixed nan matter caller urgency and that “it is unconscionable that Harris tin speak freely astir this case, but President Trump cannot.”

The defense besides revived complaints that Merchan has a “glaring conflict of interest” because his daughter, Loren, worked for Harris’ 2020 statesmanlike run and that 1 of nan prosecutors, Matthew Colangelo, was biased because he was a Justice Department charismatic nether President Joe Biden, a Democrat. Trump is incapable to aerial those grievances himself because of nan gag order.

Trump’s lawyers person made respective efforts to person nan gag bid lifted.

Their latest conflict landed successful nan state’s intermediate appeals tribunal — nan Appellate Division, 1 rung up from Merchan’s proceedings tribunal level — aft they struck retired pinch nan state’s apical court. The Court of Appeals past period declined to perceive Donald Trump’s gag bid challenge, uncovering it did not raise “substantial” law issues that would warrant contiguous intervention.

Merchan imposed nan gag bid successful March, restricting Trump from commenting astir witnesses, jurors and others connected to nan case, aft prosecutors raised concerns astir his wont of attacking group progressive successful his ineligible matters. The judge soon expanded it to prohibit comments astir his ain family aft Trump lashed retired connected societal media astatine nan judge’s girl and made mendacious claims astir her.

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During nan trial, nan judge held Trump successful contempt of tribunal and fined him $10,000 for violations, and he threatened to jailhouse him if he did it again.

Trump, who has denied immoderate wrongdoing, was primitively scheduled to beryllium sentenced July 11. Merchan postponed it until September while he considers nan effect of nan Supreme Court’s ruling, which gave wide protections to presidents and insulated them from prosecution for charismatic acts.

The ruling besides restricted prosecutors from citing immoderate charismatic acts arsenic grounds successful trying to beryllium a president’s unofficial actions violated nan law. Trump’s lawyers reason his proceedings was “tainted” by grounds that shouldn’t person been allowed. Prosecutors contend nan precocious court’s sentiment “has nary bearing” connected nan hush money lawsuit because it involves unofficial acts for which nan erstwhile president is not immune.

A Manhattan assemblage convicted Trump connected May 30 of falsifying records to screen up a imaginable activity scandal, making him nan first ex-president convicted of a crime.

Trump’s conviction, connected 34 felony counts, arose from what prosecutors said was an effort to screen up a hush money costs to porn character Stormy Daniels conscionable earlier nan 2016 statesmanlike election. She claims she had a intersexual brushwood pinch Trump a decade earlier, which he denies.

Trump’s erstwhile lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels and was later reimbursed by Trump. Prosecutors said Cohen disguised nan reimbursements pinch Trump’s knowledge by submitting monthly invoices for retainer payments arsenic his individual lawyer. Trump’s institution logged nan payments to Cohen arsenic ineligible expenses.

Prosecutors said nan Daniels costs was portion of a broader strategy to bargain nan soundlessness of group who mightiness person gone nationalist during nan 2016 run pinch embarrassing stories alleging Trump had extramarital sex.

Trump has pledged to entreaty his conviction, but he would not beryllium capable to do truthful until he is sentenced.