WASHINGTON: Donald Trump pushed back at US prosecutors’ request to curb some of his public statements about people involved in the federal court case ...
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a 2024 presidential election campaign event at Sportsman Boats in Summerville, South Carolina, US September 25, 2023. REUTERSPIX: Donald Trump pushed back at US prosecutors’ request to curb some of his public statements about people involved in the federal court case accusing him of attempting to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Trump’s defence team said in a court filing late on Monday that such restrictions would violate his free speech rights as he runs for president as the clear frontrunner for the Republican nomination in 2024. “At bottom, the Proposed Gag Order is nothing more than an obvious attempt by the Biden Administration to unlawfully silence its most prominent political opponent,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in the filing.
Smith’s office said in a court filing this month that Trump threatened to undermine public confidence in the case and influence potential jurors with “near daily” social media attacks on prosecutors, US Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the case, and residents of Washington, DC who will serve as jurors.