Special investigator Jack Smith has requested a gag order on former US President Donald Trump. The Republican will be tried in March for election conspiracy. Smith fears Trump’s words could incite a crowd and influence jurors.
Trump’s verbal attacks on Justice Department officials, the Washington public and Judge Tanya Chutkan have already led to threats from his supporters against prosecutors, the court and potential jurors, Smith said Friday.
The ex-president’s rhetoric could have “a tangible impact on the impartiality of the jury” from which the jurors for his trial are selected. Witnesses were also in danger of being influenced by Trump’s violent statements.
Smit gives examples
Anyone who heard or read Trump’s comments about the trial “may reasonably fear that they will become the next target of the defendant’s attacks,” Smith said. The court should therefore order the Republican to refrain from making derogatory, inflammatory and intimidating statements about anyone actually or potentially involved in the trial.
Smith noted some of Trump’s public statements in his filing. He did this after he was indicted by the federal judiciary in early August for his efforts to subsequently overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and thus remain in power.
Trump’s all-round attack
“If you persecute me, I will persecute you!” was one of them on online networks. Furthermore, following Smith’s statements, Trump described the judge responsible, Chutkan, as a “fraud” and Smith’s staff as a “team of gangsters.” The US capital Washington denounced Trump as “dirty and crime-ridden” and the population was “more than 95 percent anti-Trump”.
Trump reacted belligerently to Smith’s demand that he be muzzled. In his online network Truth Social, he wrote about US President Joe Biden that he was an “incompetent person” and that he used the Justice Department and the FBI “as a weapon” against him in view of the presidential elections next November. “You leak, lie and accuse and you won’t let me speak?” Trump said angrily.
Trial starts one day before ‘Super Tuesday’
Trump’s trial centers on his supporters’ attempt to storm the Jan. 6, 2021, session of Congress where Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election would be confirmed. Trump has pleaded not guilty and asked Chutkan to dismiss the case due to bias.
At the end of August, the judge set March 4 as the start date for the proceedings in Washington. It starts a day before the so-called “Super Tuesday”. On this day, presidential primaries are taking place in more than a dozen states, where polls show Trump as the overwhelming favorite. He wants to run again for the Republican Party in the American presidential elections
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
