Federal prosecutors in the case accusing Donald Trump of conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election are seeking an order that would bar the former president from making “inflammatory” and “intimidating” comments about witnesses, lawyers and a judge. Will do.
Special counsel Jack Smith’s team said A motion was filed on Friday Such a “narrow, well-defined” order was necessary to preserve the integrity of the case and protect potential jurors from bias.
“Since the grand jury returned an indictment in this case, defendant has repeatedly and widely broadcast public statements attacking the citizens of the District of Columbia, the court, prosecutors, and potential witnesses,” prosecutors wrote. “Through his statements, the defendant threatens to undermine the integrity of these proceedings and adversely affect the jury pool.”
She said Trump’s efforts to undermine trust in the court system and the administration of justice mirror his attacks on the 2020 election, which he falsely claimed he won.
“The defendant is now attempting to do the same thing in this criminal case – undermining confidence in the criminal justice system and prejudicing the jury pool through defamatory and inflammatory attacks on the citizens of this district, the court, prosecutors, and potential witnesses. ” ” He has written.
Among the statements cited by prosecutors in their motion is a post on his Truth social platform days after the indictment in which Trump wrote in all caps, “If you come after me, I’m coming after you!” He has also repeatedly alleged on social media that the case against him is “rigged” and that he may not get a fair trial. And he has personally attacked the prosecutors who brought the case – calling Smith “deranged” and his team “thugs” – as well as Tanya Chutkan, the judge presiding over the case.
A Trump spokesperson said in a statement that prosecutors “continue to corruptly and reprehensibly attempt to deprive President Trump of his First Amendment rights.”
“This is nothing more than blatant election interference because President Trump is by far the leading candidate in this race. The American people – the voters – understand this unconstitutional drama and will send President Trump back to the White House, the spokesperson said.
The issue came to a head last week with the Justice Department’s revelation that it had sought to file a motion related to Trump’s “daily” public statements that it said it feared would taint the jury pool. Chutkan on Friday allowed prosecutors to publicly file an amended motion that includes the names and identifying information of individuals who say they have been harassed as a result of Trump’s attacks.
Also on Friday, Smith’s team opposed the Trump team’s request for Chutkan to recuse himself from the case. Defense lawyers had cited Chutkan’s prior comments saying they doubted his ability to be impartial, but prosecutors responded that there were no legitimate grounds for his removal from office.