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Trump's team also asked U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in
Fort Pierce, Florida, to impose sanctions and pursue civil
contempt findings against "all government attorneys who
participated in the decision to file the motion."
In the documents case, one of four criminal prosecutions of
Trump, prosecutors have brought 40 counts of illegally retaining
sensitive national security documents after leaving office.
Trump has asserted his right to retain them.
On Friday, prosecutors asked Cannon to review Trump's bail
conditions and issue an order to prevent him from making
statements that pose a danger to law enforcement.
Special Counsel Jack Smith said the request was necessary
because of several "intentionally false and inflammatory
statements" that Trump made recently about the FBI search of his
Mar-a-Lago golf resort in Florida in August 2022.
Trump, the Republican challenger to Democratic President Joe
Biden in the Nov. 5 election, has falsely claimed in fundraising
messages sent by his campaign that the FBI was authorized to
attempt an assassination.
Smith argued that Trump's mischaracterizations have endangered
law enforcement officers and that limiting such comments does
not restrict legitimate speech.
In Monday's filing asking the judge to reject the gag order,
Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Christopher Kise accused
prosecutors of "bad-faith behavior" by rushing to file the
request on a Friday night before a holiday weekend and of
failing to give the defense team sufficient time to discuss it
before filing, violating local court rules.
The defense team said that violation should merit sanctions
against prosecutors, including possible payment to cover
expenses incurred as a result.
The defense also argued that prosecutors' request for a gag
order itself unfairly limits Trump's free speech rights in the
election campaign.
There was no indication from the court file when Cannon would
rule on the motions from each side.
Trump's criminal trial in New York, on charges that he falsified
business records to cover up a hush-money payment to porn star
Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, is scheduled to resume
on Tuesday with closing arguments.
Trump also faces charges in Washington and Georgia over attempts
to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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