Special counsel Jack Smith has again urged a Florida federal judge to restrict Donald Trump from making statements that could endanger law enforcement officials involved in his secret documents case.
Trump has falsely claimed that the 2022 Mar-a-Lago search by the FBI was a planned attempt to kill him. Special Counsel Smith has filed another motion, asking US District Judge Aileen Cannon to modify Trump’s release conditions.
"Trump’s repeated mischaracterization of these facts in widely distributed messages as an attempt to kill him, his family, and Secret Service agents has endangered law enforcement officers involved in the investigation and prosecution of this case and threatened the integrity of these proceedings," Smith wrote in the latest filing.
In a fundraising email, Trump’s campaign claimed that President Biden’s campaign was “locked & loaded ready to take me out.”
Smith’s office wants the judge to bar Trump from making statements that could put FBI agents at risk. Authorities have stated that officers are allowed to use lethal force only when there is an imminent danger of death or serious injury.
Smith argued that Trump has grossly distorted standard practices by claiming they were a plan to kill him, his family, and Secret Service agents, which irresponsibly puts a target on the backs of the FBI agents involved in this case.
Smith's previous motion was denied on Tuesday after Judge Cannon found that his office did not adequately discuss the matter with Trump’s legal team, calling their efforts “wholly lacking in substance and professional courtesy.” This time, Smith’s team included a certificate confirming that prosecutors had communicated with Trump’s legal team through phone calls and emails.
Trump’s attorneys stated that the motion should include that Trump “opposes the motion,” arguing that it violates his First Amendment rights and those of the American people by regulating his campaign communications.
Previously, Judge Juan Merchan placed a gag order on Trump during his financial fraud trial to prevent him from publicly intimidating jurors and witnesses. Trump violated this order several times and was fined. On Thursday, he was convicted on 34 felony counts in New York for falsifying business records.
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