US Counsel Asks Judge To Place Gag Order On Trump

The prosecutor leading the federal election meddling case against former US President, Donald Trump has asked a judge to place him under a gag order, limiting how he can publicly comment on the case.

Special Counsel Jack Smith’s filing says the “narrowly tailored” order would prevent harassment of witnesses.

BBC reported that Mr. Trump hit back online, accusing Smith’s team of misconduct, writing: “They won’t allow me to SPEAK?”

According to reports he has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election.

The request was unsealed by District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan and was filed a week earlier. It was among a slew of older court documents from the case that were released on Friday.

Prosecutors say their proposed order – which they never refer to as a “gag order” – is “a narrow, well-defined action” that is necessary to prevent disinformation, threats, and, “prejudicing” the case.

If approved, it would ban Mr. Trump from making statements “regarding the identity, testimony, or credibility of prospective witnesses” and “statements about any party, witness, attorney, court personnel, or potential jurors that are disparaging and inflammatory, or intimidating”.

It does not place any restrictions on Mr. Trump from quoting from public record court documents or proclaiming his innocence.

Any restriction placed on the former president’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech, particularly as he runs for president in 2024, would kick off a major constitutional challenge in court.