The judge in the federal trial of former US President Donald Trump, who is being tried over his alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, has banned him from making any public statements aimed at prosecutors, court staff and witnesses.
At the end of a more than two-hour hearing in a Washington court on Monday, October 16, Tanya Chutkan partially granted a request from special counsel Jack Smith, who is himself a regular target of attacks on Donald Trump’s networks describes himself as “crazy” and his colleagues as “thugs”.
“No other defendant would be allowed to do this, and I will not allow it in this case,” the judge said, announcing that her written decision, addressed to both the prosecution and defense, would be made public later in the day .
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On the other hand, she rejected the prosecutor’s request because of criticism directed against the federal capital and its people, or against the administration of Joe Biden, including his Justice Department, which Mr. Trump called the “Ministry of Injustice.” The defendant’s candidacy for the 2024 presidential election “does not give him carte blanche to denigrate officials who are simply doing their jobs,” the judge said.
Strong criticism on social networks
During the debates, she repeatedly referred to the strong criticism that the defendant had expressed on social networks against him or against Washington and its residents, from whom the future jurors in the trial will be selected. She listened to both parties in turn to decide what type of comment to approve or ban.
This allows him to attack his former Vice President Mike Pence on a political level, but not on his status as a potential witness in the case.
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Not surprisingly, the judge again rejected the defense’s requests to postpone the trial, which is scheduled to begin on March 4, 2024. “This process will not be subject to the electoral calendar,” she said.
“A simple solution would be to have this process after the election and solve the problem,” argued John Lauro, Donald Trump’s lawyer. Regarding the prosecution, prosecutor Molly Gaston stressed the danger that “the trial will take place in a public square and not in this court” and that “the jury will be tainted before it is constituted.”
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Judge Chutkan in September rejected a request from the former president’s lawyers to dismiss herself, asserting her impartiality. As he campaigns to retake the White House, Donald Trump is blaming his legal troubles on the Democratic administration of President Joe Biden, whom he could find on his way to revenge for the 2020 election in 2024.
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