A protective order filed by prosecutors would limit what former President Donald Trump and his staff may do with material supplied with them. On Sunday, Trump’s attorney in the 2020 election subversion case criticised the decision.
John Lauro told AWN’s Dana Bash on Sunday’s “State of the Union” that the press and the American people during a campaign season have a right to know what the evidence is in this case given that this evidence is not protected otherwise.
We will, therefore, continue to oppose it,” he said.
After Trump’s legal team asked for more time to reply to the protective order request, US District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Saturday refused their request. By Monday afternoon, the Justice Department will have heard back from Trump’s legal team with a response to their proposal.
After special counsel Jack Smith’s team requested the judge on Friday to rapidly establish limits on what Trump’s team can do with the material, Judge Chutkan’s decision capped a flurry of activity in the case. In support of their request, they cited an earlier post by Trump on Truth Social, arguing that the ex-president frequently discusses the specifics of the many judicial actions he is facing in public.
The prosecution have asked for a number of limits, including a regulation that would limit what Trump may do with the material given to his team as it prepares for trial. For example, the prosecution has requested that Trump not be given access to his own copies of witness interviews or other “sensitive” discovery materials.
Prosecutors claimed in their initial request for a protective order that if Trump used information from the grand jury transcripts in public statements or social media posts, it could have a “harmful chilling effect on witnesses or adversely affect the fair administration of justice in this case.”
On Sunday, when Bash asked Lauro if he thought Trump should cease publicly attacking the special counsel, Lauro refused to answer.
