Latest N.Y. fraud case filing urges Trump be gagged again before court staff gets hurt
New York prosecutors on Wednesday demanded Donald Trump’s gag order be reinstated, stressing that leaving the former president free to spout online rhetoric is putting court staff in danger, court records show.
Attorney General Letitia James' office filed the 37-page motion calling for the speedy return of the gag order which a New York appeals court justice paused in Trump’s $250 million civil fraud trial.
“Since this Court’s grant of an interim stay, Mr. Trump has engaged in a number of personal attacks against Supreme Court’s principal law clerk on the Truth Social social-media platform,” state attorney Dennis Fan wrote.
“A speedy denial is necessary to ensure the safety of Supreme Court’s staff and the integrity and the orderly administration of the proceedings through the end of the trial.”
Judge Arthur Engoron slapped Trump with the gag order on Oct. 3 after Trump posted to social media false comments about the court law clerk’s alleged bias.
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Trump was subsequently fined twice in violation for the gag order and paid a total of $15,000, the motion notes.
But on Thursday, Judge David Friedman, of the appellate division's First Department, stayed the order over concerns linked to Trump’s right to free political speech.
Fan replied Wednesday that the court had the ability to limit speech that puts the public and the trial at risk.
"Courts have the power to impose reasonable restrictions on both litigants and their attorneys during ongoing proceedings when necessary to safeguard those important interests,” Fan argued.
Trump's reply is due on Nov. 27, after the holiday weekend, when the First Department will issue its decision.
Attorney General Letitia James' civil complaint contends the Trump Organization inflated its value to defraud lenders and investors.
Trump and his associates, who deny wrongdoing, have already been found liable for fraud in a summary judgment, making the trial largely about deciding damages.