Federal Judge Hits Trump with Partial Gag Order After Jack Smith's Request
The judge presiding over the federal government’s election interference case against former President Donald Trump has issued a partial gag order against him.
U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled Monday there are some things Trump cannot speak about publicly after she decided in favor of special counsel Jack Smith, who had asked her to silence the former president and leading 2024 GOP presidential contender, CNN reported.
Trump is barred from speaking publicly about Smith as well as her court’s personnel.
He also cannot speak publicly about the government’s witnesses against him in the case.
In addition, the former president has been ordered not to repost any comments from anyone who is “publicly targeting” those individuals, ABC News reported.
According to CNN, Chutkan — who was nominated to the bench by then-President Barack Obama in 2013 — accused Trump of using language that is dangerous.
“This is not about whether I like the language Mr. Trump uses,” the judge said of the partial gag order. “This is about language that presents a danger to the administration of justice.”
She said Trump’s candidacy “does not give him carte blanche to vilify public servants who are simply doing their jobs.”
“Mr. Trump is a criminal defendant,” Chutkan said during the hearing. “He is facing four felony charges. He is under the supervision of the criminal justice system and he must follow his conditions of release.”
At one point, the judge asked Trump attorney John Lauro whether he agreed with the statement that the former president “does not have the right to say and do exactly what he pleases.”
Lauro replied, “100 percent.”
Trump is generally permitted to criticize former Vice President Mike Pence, who is among the GOP candidates for president, but such criticism cannot pertain to the events of Jan. 6., 2021.
The former president has been highly critical of Pence for not sending some state’s electors back during the certification of the 2020 election results on that date.
Trump also ripped Chutkan and Smith in a post on Truth Social on Sunday evening as the judge was weighing a request from the latter to muzzle him.
“Tomorrow is a big day for Democracy,” he said. “A Leaking, Crooked and Deranged Prosecutor, Jack Smith, who has a terrible record of failure, is asking a highly partisan Obama appointed Judge, Tanya Chutkan, who should recuse herself based on the horrible things she has said, to silence me, through the use of a powerful GAG ORDER, making it impossible for me to criticize those who are doing the silencing, namely Crooked Joe Biden, and his corrupt and weaponized DOJ & FBI.
“They want to take away my First Amendment rights, and my ability to both campaign and defend myself. In other words, they want to cheat and interfere in the 2024 Presidential Election.”
“Nothing like this has ever happened in our Country before. It is strictly Banana Republic kind of ‘stuff,'” Trump concluded. “These political Hacks and Thugs are destroying our Country. Let’s see what happens on Monday in Judge Chutkan’s courtroom. Will America survive, or not?”
On Aug. 1, the former president was indicted on four felony counts related to Jan. 6, 2021, and the Capitol incursion that day: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights).
He also faces federal felony charges related to his handling of classified documents as well as state charges in New York and Georgia.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
