The Special Counsel requests the judge to prevent Trump from discussing the case involving the Jan. 6 coup attempt.
WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith is asking the federal judge presiding over Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 case to stop the former president from making inflammatory statements that he said are endangering witnesses and will make finding a fair jury difficult.
In a filing to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkin on Friday, Smith stated that the defendant has continuously and extensively spread public statements that criticize the residents of the District of Columbia, the court, prosecutors, and potential witnesses. Smith further added that the defendant is aware that his public attacks on people and organizations encourage others to threaten and harass those he targets.
The campaign of Trump did not promptly reply to a comment request from HuffPost.
Smith cited Trump’s Aug. 23 post on his social media platform after his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, was charged in a separate Georgia case: “THE ELECTION WAS RIGGED & STOLLEN. HOW SAD FOR OUR COUNTRY. MAGA!”
In the filing, he also appended a post from August 5th where Trump criticized former Vice President Mike Pence. Pence had declined to comply with Trump’s request to declare him the victor of the 2020 election. Trump expressed his belief that Pence was delusional and attempting to portray himself as strong.
Smith presented various instances of individuals who have been subjected to harassment and threats by Trump supporters. The names of these individuals were redacted in the document. However, the details in the document indicate that Smith is referring to Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, who are Atlanta elections workers falsely accused of fraud by Trump, as well as Chris Krebs, the former DHS official responsible for election security, whom Trump terminated after Krebs stated that there was no substantial fraud.
“The accused persists in targeting individuals with these assaults because he is aware that by doing so, he can stir up public unrest and rally his followers,” Smith stated. “As he openly admitted during a televised town hall meeting on May 10, 2023, his supporters pay unparalleled attention to him.”
Smith also referenced Trump’s statement on August 4th, the day following his appearance in federal court, in which he stated: “If you pursue legal action against me, I will retaliate.”
“I cannot reword”
Smith provided instances of Trump’s criticisms directed at Chutkin, the special counsel’s office, and even Smith personally.
Smith stated that individuals participating in the criminal justice system, including court personnel, prosecutors, witnesses, and potential jurors, may feel apprehensive about becoming the defendant’s next victims after reading or hearing their offensive and provocative messages.
“I am unable to reword this text.”
“I cannot reword”
