Federal prosecutors and lawyers for Donald Trump will appear at the U.S. District Court in D.C.The federal judge overseeing the 2020 election subversion case against Donald Trump in Washington imposed a narrow gag order on him on Monday, barring the Republican former president from making statements targeting prosecutors, possible witnesses and the judge's staff.
Chukan said there would be no restrictions statements criticizing the Justice Department generally or statements about Trump's belief that the case is politically motivated.In seeking a gag order, Smith’s team accused the 2024 GOP presidential front-runner of using online attacks to try to undermine the public’s confidence in the justice system and taint the jury pool.
Prosecutor Molly Gaston on Monday had told the judge Trump’s lawyers were arguing their client is “above the law” and not subject to the same rules as other defendants. Gaston said Trump knows that his posts “motivate people to threaten others,” and she argued those can not only pollute the jury pool but also can chill witnesses.
The gag order proposal underscored the unprecedented complexities of prosecuting the GOP presidential primary front-runner, who has made the line of attack central to his campaign. And it presented a big test for Chutkan, who must balance Trump’s First Amendment right to defend himself publicly with the need to protect the integrity of the case.
Trump’s defense called the gag order request unconstitutional and a “desperate effort at censorship.” The defense had claimed Chutkan’s comments about Trump in other cases raised questions about whether she had prejudged his guilt. But Chutkan said her comments were mischaracterized and there was no need for her to step aside.
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