JUST IN: Bragg Scheming To Limit Trump’s Access To Evidence In Hush Money Trial

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has filed a new motion to keep President Donald Trump from having unfettered access to some of the evidence his office will present in its case against him.

On Tuesday, Bragg’s office asked Judge Juan M. Merchan to limit President Trump’s ability to independently review the prosecution’s evidence against him without a lawyer present, according to the New York Times. In their argument, prosecutors suggested the move would prevent the former president from publicizing details about the case as he mounts a campaign to return to the White House in 2024.

The case has brought 34 felony charges against the Republican presidential frontrunner related to a $130,000 payment allegedly made to adult film star Stormy Daniels and relies heavily on testimony from the president’s former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen, who claims to have made the payment at Trump’s behest.

It is the first criminal prosecution of a former U.S. president in the nation’s history and one that will be closely watched for any evidence of misconduct by Bragg, a Democrat.

Already, a federal judge has admonished the New York DA for fighting a subpoena from Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee to have a former employee testify about the ongoings inside his office. In his decision, the judge said to Bragg, “No one is above the law” and that he is “not exempt from the political arena” in his prosecution of Trump. Representatives for Bragg reportedly told a Judiciary Committee staffer to “stop calling us with this bulls–t” before hanging up on them.

The DA’s latest move is expected to be opposed by the former president’s legal team, which has already successfully blocked Bragg from seeking a gag order against Trump to prevent him from discussing the case altogether.

In the filing, Assistant District Attorney Catherine McCaw cites Trump’s penchant for bringing his case before his thousands of social media followers and says a separate lawsuit against the president related to the handling of classified documents demonstrates her office’s belief that he can’t be trusted to review the documents alone.