Trump is now free to rail against hush-money witnesses and Micheal Cohen couldn't care less
AP
- Trump is now free to rail against hush-money trial witnesses and his jury, the trial judge ruled.
- He and his lawyers remain barred indefinitely from identifying individual jurors.
- Justice Juan Merchan preserved Trump's gag on commenting about court staff, family until sentencing.
Donald Trump is free to rail away at hush-money trial witnesses and his jury, the trial judge ruled on Tuesday — but he still can't refer to jurors by name.
Key prosecution witness Michael Cohen showed zero concern when told of the gag lift.
"Good," he told Business Insider, his tone defiant.
"For the past 6 years, Donald and acolytes have been making constant negative statements about me. Donald's failed strategy of discrediting me so that he can avoid accountability didn't work then and won't work now."
Under a five-page order by New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, the former president remains barred indefinitely from revealing juror identities.
Merchan also kept in place Trump's gag on statements attacking court staff and family members, but that will be lifted after Trump's July 11 sentencing.
Trump has fought the gag unsuccessfully, on Constitutional free-speech grounds, since it was imposed in March, two weeks before the start of a trial that resulted in the first criminal conviction of a former president.
After the May 30 conviction, Trump's lawyers added a second strategy, challenging the gag as not only unconstitutional but also moot.
Prosecutors did not oppose lifting Trump's gag on trash-talking witnesses, but fought allowing him to attack jurors, or court and prosecution staffers and their families.
Lawyers for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg noted that so long as sentencing is still pending, proceedings have not yet concluded.
However, "the trial portion of these proceedings ended when the verdict was rendered, and the jury discharged," Merchan wrote.
"While it would be this court's strong preference to extend those protections, the court cannot do so," when it comes to the jury, Merchan wrote.
"Nonetheless, there is ample evidence to justify continued concern for the jurors," he added, saying that a protective order barring the release of juror identities remains in effect "until further order of this Court."