Manhattan prosecutors have formally requested a gag order in the criminal case against former President Donald Trump, citing concerns about his public statements potentially prejudicing the trial.
The motion, filed on Monday, urges Judge Juan Merchan to restrict Trump from publicly disparaging witnesses, lawyers, court staff, and family members of those involved in the case.
"Defendant has a long history of making public and inflammatory remarks about participants in various judicial proceedings against him," the Manhattan district attorney's office said in the motion filed on Monday.
"Those remarks pose a significant and imminent threat to the orderly administration of this criminal proceeding and a substantial likelihood of causing material prejudice."
Trump, facing a 34-count indictment related to alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, has consistently denied any wrongdoing and entered a plea of not guilty.
The trial is scheduled for March 25, with jury selection set to begin on that date.
The district attorney's office contends that Trump's history of making inflammatory remarks poses a significant threat to the orderly administration of the proceedings. Hundreds of threats against the district attorney's office have allegedly resulted from Trump's comments, prompting prosecutors to seek protective measures.
The requested gag order, however, does not extend to preventing Trump from speaking about District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Instead, prosecutors aim to restrict comments about potential witnesses, lawyers, court staff, and family members of legal teams. Additionally, the prosecution seeks to prevent Trump from making public statements about any prospective juror in the trial.
In response to the gag order request, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung criticized it as a "2-tiered system of justice" and argued that it would infringe on Trump's First Amendment rights and the rights of all Americans to hear from the former president.
In a separate motion, prosecutors also requested that the judge limit Trump's access to juror addresses, expressing concern about potential juror harassment and intimidation.
Prosecutors clarified that they are not seeking an anonymous jury but believe protective measures are necessary given Trump's history of attacking jurors in other proceedings.
Notably, the ex-president has openly criticized his former lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, who now serves as a key witness for Mr. Bragg. Cohen paid $130,000 to keep a story of an affair with Trump under wraps, later being reimbursed.
Trump's legal team sought to block Cohen's testimony, labeling him a liar and pointing to potential perjury in the civil fraud trial.
