Former President Donald Trump’s attorneys have requested that a federal judge reject special counsel Jack Smith’s gag order request and find the prosecutors in contempt.
The request was made in response to Smith’s motion for a gag order to limit Trump’s public comments about the FBI’s search of his Mar-a-Lago estate in 2022.
The special counsel’s office argued that the gag order is necessary to prevent Trump from making misleading and inflammatory statements that could endanger law enforcement personnel involved in the case.
However, Trump’s legal team described the request as “unconstitutional censorship,” aimed at silencing the former president as he campaigns for re-election.
Trump’s attorneys criticized the proposed gag order, particularly the aspect that would involve a probation officer determining if Trump’s comments constituted a violation of pre-trial release conditions. They argued that this could result in unfair imprisonment based on subjective interpretations of Trump’s speech.
In addition to opposing the gag order, Trump’s lawyers called for sanctions against the prosecutors involved in filing the motion, accusing them of acting as “self-appointed Thought Police.”
The special counsel contended that Trump’s false claims about the FBI’s actions have led to threats against law enforcement officers, some of whom may testify in the case.
Both the FBI and Attorney General Merrick Garland have denied any deviation from standard procedures in the Mar-a-Lago search, labeling Trump’s allegations as “false” and “extremely dangerous.”
This legal battle adds to the series of gag orders Trump faces, including those in the federal election interference case in Washington, DC, and his hush money trial in New York state court.
