Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) introduced the “Let Trump Speak Act” on Thursday, a bill that would block judges from issuing “weaponized gag orders” against defendants in criminal or civil proceedings. The legislation comes in response to a gag order placed on former President Donald Trump in his ongoing New York criminal case.
The proposed bill would allow anyone issued a gag order in violation of the act to seek injunctive relief. It includes exceptions for orders preventing the disclosure of confidential information, protecting minors’ privacy, or as part of a plea agreement.
Ogles, along with several other Republican representatives, joined Trump at court on Thursday to show support. Outside the courthouse, Ogles called the trial “a joke” and “a persecution,” arguing that “if a former president can be targeted by a woke and corrupt judge, then you can be targeted as well.”
The Tennessee representative stated that the Let Trump Speak Act “ends the gag order and pushes back against woke activist judges.” He told Fox News Digital that “there is no right more sacred to Americans than the right to speak freely, as guaranteed in the First Amendment.”
The legislation currently has 10 Republican sponsors in the House, including Reps. Bob Good (R-VA) and Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), who argue that the “weaponization of justice and harassment of President Trump must end.”
