Donald Trump's lawyers said in a filing on Monday that the former president has First Amendment rights and should be able to talk about evidence in a case involving the payment of hush money to adult film actor Stormy Daniels.
What Happened: The lawyers said that the others in the case are free to do so and Trump has a right to tell his side of the events for "both his own sake and the benefit of the voting public," reported Reuters.
The filing was reportedly made ahead of a Thursday hearing in the Manhattan state court where the District Attorney wants to stop Trump from disclosing materials given to him on news or social media platforms without the approval of the court.
"Trump cannot be the only interested party in this case whose speech about the evidence in the case is restricted by the court," said Trump’s lawyers Susan Necheles and Todd Blanche in the filing, according to the report.
Why It Matters: Lawyers for the former president pointed out that key witnesses in the trial — former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and Daniels — have made statements against their client and have "made a living" out of discussing the case, reported Reuters.
The Trump lawyers reportedly said that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg held a press conference last month after the former president was arraigned.
Trump faces 34 felony counts arising out of a probe into whether hush money payments to Daniels before the 2016 election counted as falsifying business records and was a violation of campaign finance law.
This illustration was generated using artificial intelligence via MidJourney.
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