US Justice Department Requests Protective Order in Trump Election Interference Case to Limit His Public Comments

US Justice Department requested the judge overseeing the 2020 US presidential election interference case to bar former US President Donald Trump from publicly disclosing some of the evidence gathered during the investigation related to the case.

CBS News said that the prosecutors requested that “US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan issue a protective order concerning evidence in the case, a day after Trump pleaded not guilty to charges of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss and block the peaceful transition of power.” The order would limit what information Trump and his legal team could share publicly about the case brought by special counsel Jack Smith.

Judge Chutkan gave Trump’s legal team until 5 pm Monday to respond to the government’s request.

Protective orders are common in criminal cases, but prosecutors said it’s “particularly important in this case” because Trump has posted on social media about “witnesses, judges, attorneys, and others associated with legal matters pending against him.” Prosecutors highlighted a post on Trump’s Truth Social platform in which he wrote “if you go after me, I’m coming after you!” Meanwhile, a Trump spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the former president’s post “is the definition of political speech,” and was made in response to “dishonest special interest groups and Super PACs.”

Source: Qatar News Agency