Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.
JEFFERSON CITY 鈥 Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey on Wednesday made it official: he went to court to accuse the State of New York of interfering in the 2024 presidential election.
The Republican attorney general, who is attempting to secure a four-year term in office, filed the bill of complaint with the U.S. Supreme Court.
The filing, which cites federal law giving the high court 鈥渙riginal and exclusive jurisdiction of all controversies between two or more States,鈥 asks that the sentencing of former President Donald Trump be delayed until after the November general election.
A New York City jury in May found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying records to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
People are also reading…
Bailey had said June 20 he would be filing a lawsuit against New York.
鈥淭his lawfare is poisonous to American democracy,鈥 Bailey said in a statement Wednesday. 鈥淭he American people ought to be able to participate in a presidential election free from New York鈥檚 interference. Any gag order and sentence should be stayed until after the election.鈥
The New York attorney general鈥檚 office declined to comment on the filing.
Elad Gross, the only Democrat in this year鈥檚 race for Missouri attorney general, called the filing 鈥渁nother taxpayer-funded political stunt coming from an attorney general who is desperate for attention.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 sad to see our money repeatedly flushed down the toilet while Andrew Bailey can鈥檛 manage the basic functions of his office to sue scammers, protect families, and stop wasteful spending,鈥 Gross said in a statement.
Bailey鈥檚 announcement continues a string of headline-grabbing actions in the run-up to the Aug. 6 Republican primary for attorney general:
- He sued liberal advocacy group Media Matters after it said ads for major brands on Elon Musk鈥檚 social media site X appeared next to antisemitic posts.
- He launched an investigation into Kansas City for 鈥渄oxxing鈥 Chiefs football player Harrison Butker after Butker鈥檚 controversial remarks at a commencement speech.
- He sued Planned Parenthood, accusing the organization of trafficking minors for abortions, based on an undercover video by Project Veritas.
Bailey鈥檚 complaint against the state of New York claims the state鈥檚 actions 鈥渉ave created constitutional harms that threaten to infringe the rights of Missouri鈥檚 voters and electors.鈥
The petition says the state鈥檚 gag order and impending sentence 鈥渦nlawfully impede the ability of electors to fulfill their federal functions鈥 and violate 鈥渢he First Amendment rights of Missouri citizens to listen to the campaign speech of a specific individual on specific topics.鈥
Missouri鈥檚 filing also argues the gag order and impending sentence violate the against last-minute changes to election rules by courts before an election.
Bailey faces former federal prosecutor Will Scharf in the Republican primary, who has gained attention as a member of Trump鈥檚 legal team.
Scharf declined to comment Wednesday on Bailey鈥檚 latest legal action.
The judge in Trump鈥檚 New York case on Tuesday delayed sentencing until at least September as the judge agreed to weigh the possible impact of a new Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity.
Trump had been scheduled to face sentencing July 11, just before the Republicans鈥 nominating convention, on his New York convictions on felony charges of falsifying business records. He denies any wrongdoing.
The postponement sets the sentencing for Sept. 18 at the earliest 鈥 if it happens at all, since Trump鈥檚 lawyers are arguing that the Supreme Court ruling merits not only delaying the sentencing but tossing out his conviction.
The ruling on presidential immunity all but closed the door on the possibility that Trump could face trial in a 2020 election interference case in Washington before this November鈥檚 vote.
The timeline in itself is a victory for the former president, who has sought to delay his four criminal cases past the balloting.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
