A New York State appeals judge has denied Donald Trump’s bid to delay his April 15 trial on criminal charges stemming from hush money paid to an adult film star while the former U.S President appeals a gag order in the case.
The republican presidential candidate’s lawyers said at the hearing that justice Juan Merchan’s order restricting his public comments should be modified to let him respond to public criticism levelled by potential witnesses in the case.
Merchan imposed the order last month barring him from verbal attacks on potential witnesses, court staff and individual prosecutors after finding trump made statements in various legal cases that the judge called “threatening, inflammatory and denigrating.
The hush money case is one of four criminal indictments trump faces as he prepares to challenge democratic President Joe Biden in their November 5 U.S election rematch.
