Trump trials: What counts as protected free speech?
When former President Donald Trump’s lawyers talk about his defense for the federal and Georgia Jan. 6 charges against him, one recurrent theme is that Mr. Trump’s efforts to reverse the 2020 election are protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
His request of Vice President Mike Pence to pause the Electoral College vote count, or his phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger asking him to “find” 11,780 votes, was shielded free speech, they say. As a citizen, the then-president was entitled to petition government for “a redress of grievances,” as the First Amendment explicitly says, the Trump team adds.
Much of what Mr. Trump has been indicted for is not just speech, but “political speech,” Trump attorney John Lauro said
