WASHINGTON — Mike Davis, Founder and President of the Article III Project, issued the following statement after Judge Juan Merchan in New York imposed a gag order on former President Donald Trump.
"Here we go again. Criminal defendants—not the government—have the Sixth Amendment rights to a fair, public, and speedy trial. American citizens—not the government—have the First Amendment rights to speak out against the government.
"Another hyper-partisan Democrat judge—this time Manhattan’s Juan Merchan—illegally gagged Trump before his bogus criminal trial starting next month. Merchan granted the unconstitutional request by Soros-funded Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, working with former top Biden DOJ operative Matthew Colangelo. Why are they so afraid for the American people to know the truth?
"If there’s anyone on the planet who must have the ability to speak out about the judge, court staff, prosecutors, witnesses, and process, it is a criminal defendant going through the criminal process. This is outrageous and un-American. It is a very dangerous, destructive precedent.
"Gagging a criminal defendant turns the U.S. Constitution on its head—from a shield to protect Americans from the government to a sword the government deploys to attack us. The Democrat prosecutors and judges waging this lawfare and election interference against Trump are going to cause the federal and state judiciaries to lose their legitimacy with half the American people. When they lose their legitimacy, they will lose their funding. As they should.
"The appellate courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States, must end this blatant lawfare and election interference. And the Trump 47 DOJ must prosecute this Biden criminal conspiracy to violate Trump's and so many others' civil rights. These are Republic-ending tactics by Democrats," said Davis.
The Article III Project (A3P) was founded by veteran GOP operative and attorney Mike Davis, who, after helping win the Senate confirmation battles of Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, developed the reputation as a “take-no-prisoners conservative eager to challenge the left with hardball tactics,” as reported in The New York Times.
A3P defends constitutionalist judges, punches back on radical assaults on judicial independence (like court-packing) and opposes judicial and other nominees who are outside of the mainstream. Davis previously served as Chief Counsel for Nominations to Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary and led the Senate confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and a record number of circuit court judges.
