Trump Responds to Justice Department’s Gag Order Request

Former President Donald Trump issued a fiery response to the Justice Department’s request for a gag order

On Monday, Trump’s legal team filed a 25-page response to the DOJ’s request.

“The prosecution would silence President Trump, amid a political campaign where his right to criticize the government is at its zenith, all to avoid a public rebuke of this prosecution. However, ‘above all else, the First Amendment means that government has no power to restrict expression because of its message, its ideas, its subject matter, or its content,’” the brief states.

The document adds, “The prosecution may not like President Trump’s entirely valid criticisms, but neither it nor this Court are the filter for what the public may hear.”

The brief disputes claims by prosecutors that Trump’s history of fiery comments about political opponents threatens legal proceedings. Special counsel Jack Smith’s team is aiming to restrict the former president’s ability to comment on the case, claiming his famously fiery and antagonistic rhetoric could affect jurors’ perceptions.

Read Trump’s full response below:

“The defendant knows that when he publicly attacks individuals and institutions, he inspires others to perpetrate threats and harassment against his targets,” prosecutors previously claimed.