The federal judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s election interference case issued him a stern warning through his legal team during a Friday morning hearing in her D.C. courtroom.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan warned Trump against making any “inflammatory” remarks about sensitive evidence turned over to his team by the special counsel Jack Smith’s team as part of the discovery as the case progresses.
Otherwise, she said, she would speed up the trial.
“I caution you and your client to take special care in your public statements about this case,” Chutkan told Trump’s attorney John Lauro during the hearing. “I will take whatever measures are necessary to safeguard the integrity of these proceedings.”
Chutkan’s strong warning came as she concluded her initial courtroom session in the most recent criminal lawsuit involving the former president. The purpose of the hearing was to address disagreements between special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecuting team and Trump’s legal representatives regarding the management of evidence in the case, Politico reported.
“Chutkan heard arguments about the restrictions on evidence in the case. In court filings, prosecutors had argued for broad rules baring Trump’s lawyers from sharing ‘sensitive’ materials with the former president, including witness testimony to the grand jury and recordings and transcripts of Trump associates who spoke to prosecutors,” Fox News reported.
“Trump’s attorneys countered that the government’s request was too broad and infringed on Trump’s First Amendment rights,” the network continued, adding:
In a “close” decision, Chutkan said she was not persuaded that the government has shown all information gathered in the case would fall under the protective order. She ruled that only information designated as “sensitive” should be protected.
“The defendant has the right to free speech, but that right is not absolute,” Chutkan said as she opened the hearing. “Without a protective order, a party could release that info to the jury pool.”
“We are in uncharted waters, we have a defendant running for president, and his opponent has the DOJ bringing charges against him,” Lauro argued in reference to the prosecution’s request for a protective order barring Trump from discussing much about the case.
“We are in uncharted waters, we have a defendant running for president, and his opponent has the DOJ bringing charges against him,” Lauro said.
“The fact that he’s running a political campaign has to yield to the orderly administration of justice,” Chutkan replied. “If that means he can’t say exactly what he wants to say about witnesses in this case, that’s how it has to be.”
“The defendant’s desire to respond to political opponents has to yield,” Chutkan said. “There are limits. This is a criminal case. The need for this case to proceed in a normal order means there are going to be limits on the defendant’s speech.”
