Gag Order Requested In Trump’s Election Interference Case

In a recent development in the ongoing election interference case against former President Donald Trump, Special Counsel Jack Smith has requested U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan to implement a “narrowly tailored” gag order on the former president. 

Special Counsel Asks Judge For ‘Narrow’ Gag Order On Trump After Witnesses Allegedly Harassed: Report https://t.co/cN7SNFm0Wg pic.twitter.com/S3FW77i7yP

— Daily Wire News (@DailyWireNews) September 15, 2023

This move comes as Smith and his team express concerns that Trump’s public statements may pose a “serious and substantial danger” to the fairness of the trial.

Smith’s filing outlines the need for a carefully defined restriction that specifically targets extrajudicial statements capable of prejudicing the case. Such statements, as proposed in the filing, would encompass remarks related to the identity, testimony, or credibility of potential witnesses. 

The sought restriction also stretches to “statements about any party, witness, attorney, court personnel, or potential jurors that are disparaging and inflammatory, or intimidating.”

Importantly, the proposed gag order does not aim to prohibit the quotation or reference to public court records of the case or the defendant’s claims of innocence. It is designed to maintain a fair and unbiased environment for the legal proceedings to unfold.

One of the key concerns raised by Smith’s team is the alleged attempts by Trump to intimidate various individuals connected to the case. These attempts were highlighted by multiple statements made on Truth Social, one of which stated, “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!” 

Such statements, according to the prosecution, add to an atmosphere of fear and harassment.

Another troubling aspect outlined in Smith’s filing is what the government says is Trump’s repeated dissemination of knowingly false accusations to the public. The former president has allegedly made unfounded claims that the Special Counsel’s Office prosecutors had improper motives when they visited the White House prior to his indictment in June. 

In an attempt to clarify the purpose of the visit, the filing states, “In fact, as the defendant well knows from the formal FBI FD-302 interview report and agent notes that he received in discovery on June 21, 2023, in the Southern District of Florida case, on March 31, 2023, the Special Counsel’s Office prosecutor conducted a routine investigative interview of a career military official at that official’s duty station—the White House.”

Smith’s team asserts that Trump’s intention behind spreading such falsehoods is to “prejudice the public and the venire in advance of trial.”