House GOP proposes 'Let Trump Speak Act' to ban most defendant gag orders

House GOP members have brought forward the "Let Trump Speak" act to prevent judges from issuing most gag orders on defendants in criminal or civil cases. This come as President Donald Trump stands trial in New York City, has had multiple gag orders imposed on him, and has been fined $10,000 for alleged violations of those orders. 

H.R.8410, or the bill "to prohibit judges from issuing gag orders in certain circumstances" was put forward by Rep. Andy Ogles and on Friday morning has been cosponsored by 14 other conservative GOP House members including Reps. Bob Good, Anna Paulina Luna, Diana Harshbarger, Elijah Crane, Eric Burlinson, Thomas Tiffany, Andy Biggs, Jeff, Duncan, Matthew Rosendale, Byron Donalds, Mary Miller, Barry Moore, Clay Higgins, and Bill Posey.   

Ogles was in attendance at Trump's trial in NYC on Thursday to show support for the presumptive GOP nominee, where he spoke to the press calling it a "joke of a trial."

He told The Post Millennial when asked for comment about the bill, “I find it especially egregious in this case that Judge Merchan has gagged Trump, a presidential candidate, from commenting on witnesses. The same witnesses who are not under a gag order and are publicly launching political attacks on him."
 
"No one in their right mind believes that Judge Merchan chose to gag Trump from commenting on witnesses because he is concerned about ensuring a fair trial," Ogles added. “Having sat through the three-hour game of charade in Court yesterday, it is more evident than ever that this is nothing but political persecution. It is a disgusting abuse of power by Biden and his weaponized pawns in the judiciary.”

The bill text reads, "This Act may be cited as the 'Let Trump Speak Act.'"   

In its general applicability, H.R.8410 says, "No judge of the United States or of any State may issue a gag order to the defendant in any criminal or civil proceedings except to prevent the disclosure of confidential information provided in discovery, to protect the privacy of minors, or as part of a plea agreement."  

"Anyone issued a gag order in violation of this Act 5 may commence a civil action seeking injunctive relief in 6 the appropriate United States district court," the bill text continues. "Nothing in this Act may be construed as limiting a judge’s authority to issue orders to officers of the court."  

The bill has been introduced as the falsified business records case brought by Alvin Bragg is underway in New York City. Prosecutors allege that Trump reimbursed his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, for paying off porn star Stormy Daniels after an alleged affair with Trump. Trump argues that payments made to his attorney, and thusly classified, were for legal fees.

Judge Juan Merchan, who has overseen the trial, has put several restrictive gag orders on Trump to not talk about many people involved in the case, and held Trump in contempt of those orders at prosecutors' request. 

Trump had alleged that several of those in on the the prosecution's team have donated to or been closely affiliated with Democratic politicians. Trump, his team, and many conservative lawmakers allege that the cases against Trump are a Democrat "witch hunt" against Biden's chief political opponent—Trump.  

Trump told reporters, “You have Pomerantz, Mark Pomerantz, he was Hillary Clinton's lawyer, Democrat National Committee's lawyer. He worked with Paul Weiss. He walked in and he took over the district attorney's office, nobody's ever seen anything like that, to prosecute Trump.”  

Trump also spoke about Biden DOJ official Matthew Colangelo, saying, "You had Colangelo... Remember this, Colangelo was a DOJ guy. He’s a Biden DOJ guy. Why is he in the Manhattan DA’s office trying the case?"

Let Trump Speak Act