Trump asks judge to lift gag order from NY criminal trial

Judge Juan Merchan imposed the limited gag order ahead of the trial,restricting Trump from commenting publicly on jurors, witnesses, prosecutorsand court staff, later expanding it to include his own family and that of theprosecutor.
Trump was fined $10,000 by the Manhattan court for breaking the order on 10occasions -- and threatened with jail for openly flouting the judge's ruling, reports BSS.
Before the gag order was imposed ahead of Trump's trial, the ex-presidentrepeatedly attacked likely witnesses and the prosecutors via posts on hisTruth Social platform.
Jurors last week found Trump, who is seeking to retake the presidency in thisyear's election, guilty of falsifying business records to cover up a sexscandal in the final stages of the 2016 presidential campaign.
He will be sentenced on July 11.
A letter sent by Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche to the judge on Monday askedthat Merchan "terminate the gag order restricting president Trump'sextrajudicial statements."
"Now that the trial is concluded, the concerns articulated by the governmentand the court do not justify continued restrictions on the First Amendmentrights of president Trump -- who remains the leading candidate in the 2024presidential election," said Blanche.
Blanche cited comments by Trump's rival President Joe Biden following theverdict as a reason to lift the gag order.
Biden blasted Trump on Monday saying that with a "convicted felon" seekingthe White House in November, "the campaign entered uncharted territory."