Missouri GOP attorney general asks Supreme Court to halt Trump’s sentencing and gag order in hush money case
By Lauren del Valle, CNN
(CNN) — The Missouri Attorney General petitioned the United States Supreme Court on Wednesday to file a complaint against the state of New York over Donald Trump’s recent criminal conviction – in part arguing the state infringed upon the right of Missouri voters to hear from a presidential candidate.
Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican, is asking to stay Trump’s impending sentence and the gag order still in place against Trump until after the presidential election in November.
The motion argues that the gag order and impending sentencing against Trump “interfere with his ability to freely travel and campaign and interfere with the right of Americans everywhere – and members of the Electoral College in particular – to hear Trump’s political speech.”
“The American people ought to be able to participate in a presidential election free from New York’s interference. Any gag order and sentence should be stayed until after the election,” Bailey said in a statement.
A Manhattan jury convicted Trump in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records tied to hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Trump’s lawyers have already asked Judge Juan Merchan to set aside the conviction in the wake of Monday’s Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity. Trump was set to be sentenced next week but Merchan has delayed the sentencing until at least September.
A limited gag order barring Trump from publicly speaking about prosecutors, court staff and their families remains in place at least until Trump is sentenced. Last month Merchan amended the gag order to allow Trump to talk publicly about trial witnesses and the jury but left the other restrictions in place.
The high court will decide how to proceed. One option is to set a briefing schedule in coming days on Missouri’s immediate request – to temporarily block the gag order and sentencing, if it chooses.
CNN has reached out to the New York Attorney General’s office, which represents the state, and the Manhattan District Attorney, which brought the case against Trump, for comment.
CNN’s Zenebou Sylla and John Fritze contributed to this report.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
