Iowa attorney general leads coalition opposing Trump gag order in classified documents case

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird on Monday led a coalition of 24 other Republican attorneys general (AGs) in a brief protesting against special prosecutor Jack Smith's request for a gag on former President Donald Trump.

Smith has filed several requests recently for a gag order on Trump over his alleged mishandling of classified documents, after the former president made inflammatory comments about law enforcement officers in the case. A gag order was already used on Trump in his hush money trial in New York.

Bird said that a gag order would interfere with the public's right to hear from presidential candidates, and claimed Trump had a right to free speech.

“Silencing President Trump for speaking out against a raid of his home is not only unjust, it is unconstitutional," Bird said in a statement shared with Just The News. "This wrongful gag order robs President Trump of the opportunity to defend himself, while allowing his opponents to attack him and characterize his prosecution. President Trump has a right to free speech. And Americans have the right to hear both sides of the story ahead of an approaching presidential election.”

The comment comes after the 24 attorneys general filed an amicus brief on Monday, asking the court not to approve the gag order. The AGs claimed the judiciary branch should be cautious when abridging free speech, according to Fox News.

Bird was joined by attorneys general in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida,  Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.