Manhattan D.A. seeks gag order for Donald Trump in upcoming hush money trial

Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Citing "credible threats of violence" issued by Donald Trump's supporters, prosecutors in his New York criminal hush money trial on Monday asked a judge to slap a limited gag order on the former president.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg filed a motion in New York State Supreme Court asking Judge Juan Merchan to prevent Trump from making public comments about potential witnesses, attorneys and members of the court's or district attorney's staffs or their families in connection with the trial, in which he is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

In making the gag order request, Assistant D.A. Matthew Colangelo cited Trump's "long history of making public and inflammatory remarks about the participants in various judicial proceedings against him, including jurors, witnesses, lawyers, and court staff."

The motion does not seek to bar Trump from making statements about Bragg, himself, whom the former president already has called a "racist," "a danger to our country" and "a degenerate psychopath" among other descriptions in social media posts.

Trump has denied he had an affair with Daniels and has pleaded not guilty. Jury selection is set to begin on March 25.

Prosecutors say the hush money case already has generated "hundreds of threats" aimed against them, which they contend are directly connected to Trump's public attacks.

"Defendant's attacks online and in other public statements have singled out several prosecutors in the District Attorney's Office, and have also targeted the district attorney's family," they said, resulting in "credible threats of violence, harassment and intimidation."

One example prosecutors cited is that of a Utah resident who in August was charged with transmitting interstate death threats against Bragg hours after Trump posted a call on social media for his followers to "PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!"

An affidavit submitted by the commanding officer of Bragg's security detail asserts that only one threat was made against the district attorney and this office in the 15 months before Trump "rallied his supporters in protest of this investigation and indictment," after which there was an "extraordinary surge in threat activity."

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung denounced the gag order request.

Implementing it "would impose an unconstitutional infringement on President Trump's First Amendment rights, including his ability to defend himself, and the rights of all Americans to hear from President Trump," he said in a statement to CNN.