Justice Department prosecutors want US District Judge Tanya Chutkan to reel in Donald Trump’s public statements in the federal 2020 election interference case against him, asking her to place a court order limiting what he can say, according to a newly released filing.
The request for a limited gag order, filed in recent days, represents the most direct response from prosecutors with special counsel Jack Smith’s office to the former president’s public statements to date. The Justice Department said the order is needed to protect the integrity of his trial in March.
“The defendant is now attempting to do the same thing in this criminal case — to undermine confidence in the criminal justice system and prejudice the jury pool through disparaging and inflammatory attacks on the citizens of this District, the Court, prosecutors, and prospective witnesses,” prosecutors wrote in their filing.