Special counsel Jack Smith sought a ‘narrow, well-defined’ gag order against Trump earlier this month in the ongoing 2020 election case. His team asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to apply the gag order in light of a pattern of “false and inflammatory” statements by Trump about the case as well as comments meant to intimidate or harass people he believes are potential witnesses against him.
Yesterday, attorneys for Trump filed court papers urging U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to deny the proposal to bar Trump from making inflammatory and intimidating comments about witnesses, lawyers and other people involved in the criminal case.
Trump’s lawyers claimed Smith’s team hasn’t proved why such an order would be necessary, saying that 'Trump’s social media posts haven’t intimidated any possible witnesses and that there’s no real concern his comments would taint the jury pool'.
Trump’s lawyers have also asked the judge to recuse herself from the case, saying her past public statements about him and his connection to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol call into question whether she can be fair.
Trump faces a four count indictment in this case, one of four cases he is currently fighting in court, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding.
Jack Smith recently added a specialist prosecutor to his team, James Whiting, who prosecutes war crime and organized crime cases.
About the writer: Matthew Woodruff is an Independent Journalist and Author who believes in Freely Accessible, Honest and Open Reporting.
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