Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has filed a lawsuit against the state of New York. He claims that New York’s prosecution of former President Donald Trump violates the First Amendment rights of Missourians. Bailey argues that New York’s actions have hindered Trump’s ability to campaign.
This includes what he describes as “illicit prosecution, gag order, and sentencing” of Trump. The lawsuit seeks to declare that New York’s restrictions on Trump’s campaign efforts unlawfully interfere with the electoral process. Bailey demands the removal of any gag orders against Trump.
He also wants a halt to Trump’s pending sentencing until after the presidential election. “Missouri has a huge problem with New York,” said Bailey. “Instead of allowing presidential candidates to campaign on their own merit, radical progressives in New York are attempting to rig the 2024 election by direct interference in our democratic process.”
The lawsuit cites three specific violations.
These are interference with the presidential election in other states, violation of the First Amendment, and the unlawful change of election rules in the months leading up to an election. This legal action comes just one month after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg secured a guilty verdict against Trump. Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records.
“This lawfare is poisonous to American democracy,” Bailey said.
Missouri AG challenges New York’s actions
“The American people ought to be able to participate in a presidential election free from New York’s interference.
Any gag order and sentence should be stayed until after the election.”
Bailey’s lawsuit details how DA Bragg brought charges against Trump. It alleges that the move was intended to boost President Biden’s campaign and hinder Trump’s chances of returning to the White House. Bailey noted that Bragg campaigned for his current position by leveraging his experience in prosecuting Trump.
Bragg had also hired Matthew Colangelo, a high-ranking member from Biden’s Department of Justice, to lead the case against Trump. Additionally, the lawsuit claims that Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing Trump’s New York criminal trial, violated state judicial ethics rules. This impacted Trump’s ability to campaign effectively.
“Trump’s conviction is likely to be overturned on appeal, but by then, the constraints New York has placed on Trump will already have had their full effect,” Bailey stated. “Missouri has a strong, judicially enforceable interest in its citizens being able to hear Trump’s campaign free from any interference imposed by the State of New York.”
Bailey has filed a motion of preliminary injunction. He is requesting the court to immediately halt any further action in the New York case until after the election.
In response to the legal developments, Trump recently moved to overturn his criminal conviction in the Manhattan case. This follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that grants substantial immunity to former presidents for official acts committed while in office. Trump also requested to delay his sentencing, which was initially scheduled for July 11, a few days before the Republican National Convention.
Judge Merchan has delayed the sentencing date to September 18.
