2023-09-16 01:25:02
Donald Trump, September 15, 2023, in Washington. ANDREW HARNIK / AP
The US special prosecutor prosecuting Donald Trump asked a judge on Friday (September 15) to limit the former president’s freedom of speech before his federal trial for his attempts to reverse the result of the 2020 election. According to prosecutor Jack Smith, Donald Trump’s repeated criticism of the Justice Department, the people of Washington and the judge in charge of the case, Tanya Chutkan, could disrupt the smooth running of justice.
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“So I’m campaigning to be president (…) and I’m not allowed to express myself? They leak [des informations], lie, pursue, and don’t want me to talk? »Donald Trump quickly reacted on his Truth Social platform.
The words of the former president “could have a significant impact on the population from which the jury will be selected [du procès] and at the same time influence the statements of witnesses”, according to the prosecution. Anyone reading or listening to Mr. Trump’s statements “could reasonably be afraid of being the next target of the accused’s attacks”adds Jack Smith in a court document.
Threats become real
Donald Trump’s trial in this case is scheduled to begin on March 4, 2024, the day before « Super Tuesday »one of the most important elections in the Republican primaries, for which he is the big favorite.
Until then, Mr. Smith wants the Republican billionaire to be prohibited from making any derogatory or intimidating statements about anyone named in the case or who may be named in the case, and to make absolutely no statements about future witnesses.
Donald Trump also accused Judge Tanya Chutkan of ” to hate “ and called the prosecutor’s office“thug squad”. However, according to this same team, these remarks turned into very real threats, and “it is clear that these threats are provoked by the words, constantly repeated, of the accused”.
In mid-August, a woman was arrested in Texas for death threats against Ms. Chutkan, who has yet to respond to Mr. Smith’s request to limit Donald Trump’s comments before his trial.
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