Trump's Lawyers Blast Jack Smith's Gag Order Request In Classified Documents Case
Lawyers for Donald Trump on Monday blasted a motion filed by prosecutors in the classified documents case, calling on the judge to impose a gag order on the former president over false allegations he made about the 2022 raid on his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Trump mischaracterized standard language included in search warrants to baselessly assert FBI agents were prepared to shoot him when they searched his Florida property in the summer of 2022 for classified files he took with him after the conclusion of his presidential term.
Special counsel Jack Smith’s office in a motion filed Friday asked U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to impose a gag order on Trump, saying his mischaracterization of facts “has endangered law enforcement officers involved in the investigation and prosecution of this case.”
In a court filing, his lawyers Todd Blanche and Christopher Kise blasted Smith, calling on Cannon to not only reject the prosecution’s motion but to also impose sanctions and find all government attorneys who participated in filing the motion in civil contempt.
Blanche and Kise argued Smith’s request represents an “extraordinary, unprecedented, and unconstitutional censorship application,” claiming the motion targets Trump’s campaign speech as he is a major candidate in the upcoming 2024 race.
Trump’s lawyers also took issue with the timing the motion was filed on Friday evening ahead of Memorial Day and while the former president’s legal team is preparing to deliver closing arguments Tuesday in his hush money trial in New York.
“This is bad-faith behavior, plain and simple,” they said.
Besides, they argued that Smith has failed to substantiate the argument that Trump’s comments posed an immediate danger to law enforcement personnel involved in the case, noting that any identifying information about potential witnesses and agents who took part in the raid has been redacted.
“We have not, and will not, stand in the way of credible assertions about the potential for safety risks to such individuals,” they wrote. “On the other hand, we will not acquiesce in unsupported histrionics from biased and reckless prosecutors who have shown no respect for the First Amendment, other constitutional protections, the Local Rules, and the Court’s orders.”
Trump’s lawyers continued admonishing prosecutors throughout the filing, referring to them as “self-appointed Thought Police.”
Trump himself attacked Smith on Saturday over the motion.
“I guess they’re hoping they can silence me from telling the TRUTH like the Corrupt and Highly Conflicted Judge in New York City has done,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Trump has been under a gag order in his federal election interference case, which was also brought by Smith. The former president has also been fined for repeatedly violating the gag order imposed on him by Judge Juan Merchan in his New York hush money case.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to the 40 felony counts he was charged with over his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House in January 2021.
Cannon has postponed the trial in the case indefinitely.
