Former President Donald Trump landed a victory from New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan this week, as a change in his gag order allows him to speak about Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels.
On Tuesday, Merchan, who oversaw Trump’s criminal trial in New York City, changed a gag order to allow the former president to make comments about witnesses and jurors involved in the case, the Associated Press reported.
Last month, a New York City jury convicted Trump on 34 charges of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment that Cohen, then Trump’s attorney, made to former adult film actress Daniels before the 2016 election, allegedly to keep quiet about an affair she said they had.
Trump, who has long denounced the case as a “witch hunt,” pleaded not guilty to all charges denied Daniels’ allegations. He has already announced plans to appeal the verdict.
Daniels and Cohen testified during the trial as witnesses for the prosecution. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, will now be allowed to speak about them in public with the new altered gag order.
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s spokesperson and Bragg’s office via email for comment.
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According to the Associated Press, the change in Merchan’s gag order did not apply to others involved in the case, including the judge. Additional changes could come to the gag order following Trump’s sentencing next month.
During the trial, Trump was previously fined $10,000 and held in criminal contempt for violating the gag order 10 times. Trump still denies wrongdoing and is considering an appeal against the criminal conviction.
In court filings last week, Manhattan prosecutors requested the gag order against Trump remain in place as the former president has not “exempted the jurors from his alarming rhetoric” that he would try to seek retribution as president against those involved in the trial.
Prosecutors added officials had logged 56 “actionable threats” against Bragg, his family, and staff of the district attorney’s office since the hush money trial started in April.
Last week, lawyer Robert Ray, who defended Trump in his first impeachment trial, spoke to CNN’s NewsNight and said he has “absolutely no problem” with prosecutors asking for the gag order to remain in place.
“I have absolutely no problem, frankly, with the prosecutor’s real concern about safety,” Ray said. “There are wing nuts out there in the period of time between now and when the trial court’s role in this case ends. I don’t think it’s worth taking the chance that anybody could do harm to any of the core personnel, the judge’s staff, most importantly, the judge and certainly the district attorney and his staff.”
Trump is expected to attend the first presidential debate later this week, where he could speak about the hush money trial.
Update 6/25/24, 2:57 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
