The special US prosecutor prosecuting Donald Trump has asked a judge to restrict the former president’s free speech ahead of his federal trial over his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
• Also read: Telephone scam: A Montreal radio station manages to catch Donald Trump on the phone
• Also read: Putin Calls Trump’s Legal Trouble ‘Political Persecution’
• Also read: Joe Biden “did nothing wrong,” White House says amid Republican impeachment inquiry
According to prosecutor Jack Smith, Donald Trump’s repeated criticism of the Justice Department, Washington residents and the judge in charge of the case, Tanya Chutkan, could disrupt the smooth flow of justice.
“So I’m running for president… and I’m not allowed to speak? You leak (information, editor’s note), lie, sue and don’t want me to speak?” Donald Trump reacted quickly on his “Truth Social” platform.
The former president’s comments “could have a significant impact on the population from which the (trial) jury is selected while also influencing the testimony of witnesses,” the indictment says.
Anyone reading or hearing Mr. Trump’s statements “might reasonably fear becoming the next target of the defendant’s attacks,” Jack Smith added in a court document.
Donald Trump’s trial in this case is scheduled to begin on March 4, the day before Super Tuesday, one of the key dates in the Republican primaries for which he is the heavy favorite.
Until then, Mr. Smith wants the Republican billionaire to be barred from making derogatory or intimidating statements about anyone who is or may be named in the case, and to make absolutely no statements about future witnesses.
Donald Trump also accused Judge Tanya Chutkan of “hating” him and called the prosecution a “team of thugs.” However, according to the same team, these comments turned into very real threats and “it is clear that these threats are provoked by the defendant’s constantly repeated words.”
In mid-August, a woman was arrested in Texas for making death threats against Ms. Chutkan, who has not yet responded to Mr. Smith’s request to limit Donald Trump’s remarks before his trial.