Special prosecutor Jack Smith on Friday asked a federal judge to put express limits on what former President Donald Trump can discuss publicly in his impending federal trial on charges related to his effort to block the transfer of power in the 2020 election, citing Trump’s history of attacking those who “present an obstacle” to him, according to The Hill.
The order asks U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan to restrict “certain damaging extrajudicial statements” by Trump about the federal case for interference in the 2020 electionsseeking to express a “narrow and well-defined restriction” and that Also limit discussion of the testimony or credibility of witnesses in the case, as well as on court personnel and jurors.
Request for a limited gag order It is the most direct response from prosecutors in special counsel Jack Smith’s office to the former president’s public statements to date.
The Justice Department said the order is necessary to protect the integrity of his federal trial in March. Trump has previously been ordered not to intimidate potential witnesses or talk to them about the facts of the case.
In making their argument, prosecutors pointed to false public statements Trump previously made surrounding the 2020 election vote “to erode public faith in the election administration and intimidate people who refuted his lies.”
“The defendant now attempts to do the same in this criminal case: undermine confidence in the criminal justice system and prejudice the jury through derogatory and inflammatory attacks against the citizens of this District, the Court, prosecutors and potential witnesses,” they wrote prosecutors in their presentation, cited by CNN.
Trump criticized the special counsel’s motion in a Truth Social post on Friday, calling Smith “deranged” and stating that the judicial process was a measure to silence the leading candidate challenging President Joe Biden in the 2024 election.
Chutkan, a judge appointed by Obama to oversee the criminal case in Washington, DC, has not yet made a decision on the request.
Prosecutors specifically asked a court order limiting Trump’s ability to speak about “the identity, testimony or credibility of potential witnesses” and “statements about any party, witness, attorney, court staff or potential jurors that are derogatory and inflammatory, or intimidating.”
In the filing, federal prosecutors cited Trump’s recent criticism of former Vice President Mike Pence and William Barr (former attorney general during the Trump administration)who could be called as witnesses in next year’s trial.
The federal investigation into election interference is one of four criminal cases against the former president. Trump faces four charges in the case, including obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Keep reading:
– Judge prohibits Trump from disclosing confidential information about his case to overturn 2020 elections
– Special prosecutor proposes that Trump’s trial for subverting the 2020 elections be on January 2
– Trump lawyers argue that his trial over the 2020 election in Washington should not occur until 2026
Source: La Opinion
