NYC judge signals he’ll sign protective order against Trump, as former president’s lawyers ask to move Stormy Daniels hush money case to fed court

Donald Trump’s lawyers in his criminal hush money case on Thursday said they would effort to move his case to federal court — as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg asked a judge to bar him from publicly discussing evidence in the case.

Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, told Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan he planned to file the request later Thursday. By law, a defendant has 31 days from being arraigned on criminal charges to make such a request.

If it is rejected, Merchan told the prosecution and Trump’s lawyers to plan for a trial date in February or March, instructing them to clear their schedules and not plan any vacations, new cases or other trials.

That also goes for Trump, who’s running to become the 2024 Republican presidential nominee. He can’t agree to any appearances, speaking arrangements or other events that would interfere with his availability for the trial, Merchan said.

Merchan has not yet ruled on the protective order, proposed by Bragg’s office, but indicated that he likely wouldn’t allow Trump to speak about evidence or information about witnesses provided to his legal team.

Trump is criminally accused of falsifying business records in a scheme to bury negative stories ahead of the 2016 presidential election, violating state and federal election laws. Prosecutors allege he illegally disguised reimbursement of a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels paid out by his former fixer, Michael Cohen, to buy her silence about an alleged 2006 tryst.

In her motion filed last week, Assistant District Attorney Catherine McCaw described Trump’s “longstanding and perhaps singular history of attacking witnesses, investigators, prosecutors, trial jurors, grand jurors, judges, and others involved in legal proceedings against him, putting those individuals and their families at considerable safety risk.”

Blanche tried to get the order revised to prevent Bragg from holding press conferences or putting out documents like…

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