Trump Lawyers Frustrated as Lack of Planning Backfires in Court

Donald Trump's lawyers failed to lift the gag order in his New York civil fraud case before his scheduled testimony, as they waited too long to appeal the ban. The court ruled that any decision on the matter will now come after the trial, rendering it moot. Trump's legal team, led by attorney Chris Kise, had previously angered the court by attempting to transfer or dismiss the case for lack of jurisdiction, despite these arguments being repeatedly rejected. The lawyers have now made the law clerk's alleged influence over the judge the central issue of their motion for a mistrial, citing First Amendment concerns. However, their attempts to expedite relief have been unsuccessful, and Trump will have to answer questions about the fraud allegations instead of attacking the law clerk.