The federal judge overseeing the case against former US President Donald Trump for electoral subversion in 2020 imposed a strict gag order this Monday. which prevents him from making statements to witnesses, prosecutors or judges.
Judge Tanya Chutkan’s order is a landmark federal lawsuit accusing Trump of illegally conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Special counsel Jack Smith’s team warned about Trump’s statements criticizing prosecutors, judges and witnesses, pointing out that they could undermine public confidence in the justice system.
Chutkan ruled that there would be no restrictions on Trump’s statements criticizing the Justice Department or on statements claiming the lawsuit is politically motivated.
However, The judge said Trump should not be allowed to mount a “smear campaign” against prosecutors and judicial officials.
“No other criminal defendant should be allowed to do that, and I will not allow it in this case,” Chutkan concluded.
Trump’s lawyers have strongly opposed any silence order, saying it hinders his political speech and violates the Constitution.
In their request for a gag order, prosecutor Smith’s team accused Trump, the favored candidate in the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential election, of using his political platforms to disparage the image of justice.
Trump’s attorney, John Lauro, accused prosecutors of “trying to censor a political candidate in the middle of an election campaign,” but the judge responded that Trump “has no right to say and do exactly what he wants.”
Chutkan, appointed by former Democratic President Barack Obama, repeatedly warned Trump’s lawyer to keep politics out of the courtroom.
In reading this decision, Chutkan referenced comments Trump made about himself, ridiculing her as a “radical Obama supporter.”
Today’s silence order underlines the unprecedented complexity of efforts to prosecute the Republican Party’s presidential election frontrunner and presents a major test for Chutkan as he tries to balance Trump’s First Amendment rights to publicly defend himself with the need to protect integrity. on the House.
Source: DN
