Trump’s legal team argued that the gag order infringes on his First Amendment rights, affecting not only Trump but also over 100 million Americans who listen to him….reports Asian Lite News
Former President Donald Trump appealed to a federal appeals court to lift the gag order that limits his speech regarding potential witnesses, prosecutors, and court staff in the case accusing him of attempting to overturn the 2020 election. Trump’s attorneys urged the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit to block the gag order imposed by US District Judge Tanya Chutkan while Trump pursues his appeals.
Trump’s legal team argued that the gag order infringes on his First Amendment rights, affecting not only Trump but also over 100 million Americans who listen to him. The order was reinstated by Judge Chutkan after Trump’s request for free speech while challenging the restrictions in higher courts was denied.
This order prevents Trump from publicly targeting special counsel Jack Smith, his team, court employees, and potential witnesses. However, it doesn’t bar Trump from expressing general complaints, even if they are provocative, about the case against him. The judge clarified that Trump is still permitted to maintain his innocence and assert that the case is politically motivated.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr, former US President’s eldest son, took the witness stand on Wednesday at the New York civil fraud trial accusing the family business of inflating asset values.
Donald Trump Jr, an executive vice president at the Trump Organization, is the first member of the Trump family to testify in the case, Xinhua news agency reported.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has accused the former president, his adult children and a handful of their family businesses of inflating their assets by billions of US dollars to secure better loan terms.
During the trial, Donald Trump Jr said that he and his younger brother, Eric Trump, largely took over management of the company after their father assumed the presidency in 2017, but he denied any wrongdoing in the case.
Donald Trump Jr was also expected to continue his testimony on Thursday, followed by Trump’s other adult children – Eric and Ivanka.
Before his elder son’s testimony, Trump blasted Judge Arthur Engoron, who is presiding over the case, Wednesday on social media platform Truth Social, calling him a “political hack”.
“Engoron is crazy, totally unhinged, and dangerous,” the former president wrote. “Leave my children alone, Engoron. You are a disgrace to the legal profession!”
The civil fraud trial is one of several legal troubles Trump faces, who is a frontrunner in the presidential campaign, as he seeks to recapture the White House.
