Justice Department prosecutors want US District Judge Tanya Chutkan to reel in Donald Trump’s public statements in the federal 2020 election interference case against him, asking her to place a court order limiting what he can say, according to a newly released filing.
The request for a limited gag order, filed in recent days, represents the most direct response from prosecutors with special counsel Jack Smith’s office to the former president’s public statements to date. The Justice Department said the order is needed to protect the integrity of his trial in March. Trump has already 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 around the 2020 vote “to erode public faith in the administration of the election and intimidate individuals who refuted his lies.”
“The defendant is now attempting to do the same thing in this criminal case — to undermine confidence in the criminal justice system and prejudice the jury pool through disparaging and inflammatory attacks on the citizens of this District, the Court, prosecutors, and prospective witnesses,” prosecutors wrote in their filing.
Chutkan, an Obama appointee overseeing the criminal case in Washington, DC, hasn’t yet made a decision on the request.
Trump blasted the special counsel’s motion in a Truth Social post Friday, calling Smith “deranged” and claiming that it was a move to silence the leading Republican candidate who could challenge President Joe Biden in the 2024 election.
The former president doubled down on his attacks at an event in Washington, DC, on Friday evening, accusing the special counsel of infringing on his rights.
“Did you see today that deranged Jack Smith … wants to take away my rights…
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