At the end of October, Trump was muzzled for the second time in the case in which he is accused of trying to change the election results in 2020.
The 77-year-old was muzzled after, among other things, he called the Ministry of Justice’s special investigator in the case, Jack Smith, an “insane lunatic” and “thug”.
Trump’s lawyers tried on Monday to have the 77-year-old’s muzzle removed during a hearing in an appeals court in Washington. They argued, among other things, that the muzzle could have a negative effect on Trump’s election campaign in the run-up to next year’s presidential election.
“It sets a terrible precedent for future restrictions on political speech,” said D. John Sauer, one of the lawyers.
The court responded that Trump is free to criticize the trial against him and the institutions involved, but that he cannot go after individuals. At the same time, it was inclined to change the wording of the gag order so that Trump’s freedom of expression is not restricted more than necessary.
On Thursday last week, Trump was relieved of an order he has been given not to comment on the ongoing fraud suit against him in New York.
Trump was muzzled in October and later fined $15,000 for writing about a court clerk on social media. The exemption is temporary while a longer appeal process is ongoing.
