Breaking News
Judge Refuses to Silence Trump on Case, But Bans Comments About Witness Testimonies
Former President Donald Trump will be permitted to publicly comment on his case, but he will not be permitted to remark on witnesses or release witness testimony, including recordings and transcripts, according to a decision made by Judge Tanya Chutkin on Friday in Washington, D.C.
Last Friday, Special Counsel Jack Smith attempted to halt President Trump from commenting on any of the evidence that had been provided to defense attorneys as part of the trial's discovery phase. However, the protective order generally rejected his efforts.
Opponents claimed that Smith's proposed protective order was an attempt to sway the outcome of the election because it would quiet the main rival in the race for president.
In their response, Trump's attorneys also quoted a post from President Joseph Biden, who was tweeting under the “dark Brandon” persona in which he appeared to be looking forward to Trump's impending arraignment in Washington.
They claimed that the case as a whole was a political stunt designed to prevent Trump from ever winning the presidency again.
Judge Chutkin, a Barack Obama appointee and supporter of the Obama/Biden campaigns, declared that she would not allow politics to affect how she handled the case. Trump would have to acknowledge that he was not free to say whatever he wanted about the witnesses, she claimed.
In the end, the judge decided that Trump was bound by the terms of his release before trial and could not talk about or threaten witnesses. She also claimed that he was unable to provide “sensitive” data, such as witness testimony.
She also restricted Trump's legal team's access to the evidence against him, telling them they couldn't review the evidence with a larger legal team, including pro bono lawyers (the first batch of which is 11.6 million pages), according to CBS.
Up Next:
