Missouri filed a lawsuit against the state of New York seeking to lift the gag order imposed against former President Trump during his hush money trial.
Trump was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records in New York in May. Missouri claims the prosecution is politically motivated and is interfering with Missourians' rights to hear from a presidential candidate.
Missouri's lawsuit asks the Supreme Court to intervene, arguing it has jurisdiction because the suit points to an interstate conflict.
“I will not sit idly by while Soros-backed prosecutors hold Missouri voters hostage in this presidential election. I am filing suit to ensure every Missourian can exercise their right to hear from and vote for their preferred presidential candidate,” Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) wrote in a statement to The Hill.
In the lawsuit, Bailey alleges Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) brought charges against Trump to “boost Joe Biden's campaign and keep Trump out of the White House,” dubbing the move “lawfare.”
Bailey adds that Bragg's decision to “campaign for his current position by promising to use that experience to prosecute” Trump makes the prosecution obviously partisan.
Bailey also alleges that Merchan violated ethics rules by overseeing a case against Trump even after donating to the Biden campaign. Merchan in 2020 gave $35 to the Democratic group ActBlue, including $15 earmarked for Biden's campaign.
“Nothing is more destructive to the health of a democracy than distrust in the outcome of an election. And yet New York has brought transparently weak charges for the transparent purpose of trying to impose political damage against Trump and trying to restrain his ability to campaign in advance of an election forecasted by the polls to be very close,” the lawsuit reads.
The Missouri AG filed the lawsuit soon after the Supreme Court ruled to expand presidential immunity. (RELATED: Supreme Court Releases Pivotal Presidential Immunity Decision)
The Supreme Court's recent ruling also triggered a motion for Trump's legal team to overturn his conviction.
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