Donald Trump has joined media organizations to argue against the Manhattan district attorney's effort to limit the public availability of evidence shared with the former president's attorneys in the lead-up to next year's hush money trial.
A news coalition that includes NBC News sent a letter Monday arguing against a protective order proposed by District Attorney Alvin Bragg to restrict how evidence can be used before trial, including possibly sealing or redacting certain items.
Trump signed on to the letter Tuesday, his attorneys said.
Citing the letter, Trump’s lawyers said they also opposed “requiring the advance sealing or redaction of court filings or their exhibits in this case.”
“We similarly oppose any Order which would require any Party to seek consent from the opposing party before filing any motion in unredacted form on the public docket,” Susan Necheles, Joe Tacopina and Todd Blanche wrote to New York state Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the trial.
The decision to side with news organizations contrasts with Trump's frequent attacks on the media, which he called the “enemy of the people” when he was president. He has continued to deride journalists since he left office, particularly amid coverage of the trial stemming from hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
A lawyer and a spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday's letter.
Trump's lawyers this week separately criticized Bragg's proposed protective order, which asks Merchan to block Trump from discussing some of the evidence publicly, including on social media. His attorneys characterized Bragg's request as an "unprecedented and extraordinarily broad muzzle on a leading contender for the presidency of the United States" and said it would violate his First Amendment rights.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to comment on Trump's opposition to the proposed order.
In a filing last week, Assistant District Attorney Catherine McCaw asked Merchan to ensure that Trump views the evidence only in the presence of his lawyers. She argued that the order was necessary because the chance of Trump’s using evidence “inappropriately is substantial” because of his "long history of discussing his legal matters publicly—including by targeting witnesses, jurors, investigators, prosecutors, and judges with harassing, embarrassing, and threatening statements on social media and in other public forums."
A court spokesperson said a hearing on the proposed order has been scheduled for Thursday morning.
Trump pleaded not guilty last month after he was indicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments made to Daniels and another woman during his 2016 presidential campaign.
In a Fox News interview last month, Trump suggested the probe was an effort to hurt his 2024 presidential campaign.
