Prosecutors Renew Efforts to Silence Trump in Classified Document Case

Prosecutors involved in the case of former President Donald Trump’s classified documents have once again asked a federal judge to restrict the Republican frontrunner after he made claims that the FBI had authorization to use lethal force during a raid on his Mar-a-Lago estate in August 2022, as reported by Politico on Friday.

Special counsel Jack Smith’s team reiterated their request on Friday, following criticism from U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon four days earlier for not attempting to resolve the issue with Trump’s lawyers before bringing it to her attention.

The motion argues that Trump’s statements regarding FBI authorization for the use of deadly force put the agents involved in the search and individuals connected to the case at risk.

“These deceptive and inflammatory claims expose the law enforcement professionals who are involved in this case to unjustified and unacceptable risks: they invite the sort of threats and harassment that have occurred when other participants in legal proceedings against Trump have been targeted by his invective,” prosecutors Jay Bratt and David Harbach wrote. The prosecutors also suggested that Trump’s ability to speak on the case could influence potential jurors, although a trial date has not been set.

In the new filing, prosecutors referenced a series of social media posts and political fundraising emails from the former president and his campaign that included statements such as “Biden’s DOJ was authorized to shoot me!” and “Joe Biden was locked & loaded and ready to take out me & put my family in danger.”

According to Politico, Trump’s remarks were based on the language in the FBI’s operation plan related to search procedures that allowed for the use of deadly force. However, FBI officials have clarified that the language used in the peculiar raid of a president’s home is standard in almost all such plans and is intended to limit the use of deadly force, not escalate it.

Moreover, the agency emphasized that the raid took place when Trump was not at home to avoid any potential mishaps.

Prosecutors also urged Cannon, who was appointed by Trump, to modify the former president’s release conditions to prevent him from “making statements that pose a significant, imminent, and foreseeable danger to law enforcement agents involved in the investigation and prosecution of this case.”

Trump’s legal team responded to the gag order, stating: “President Trump’s position is that the requested modification is a blatant violation of the First Amendment rights of President Trump and the American People, which would essentially allow President Trump’s political opponent to regulate his campaign communications to voters across the country.”

Smith did not request Cannon to expedite the consideration of his request. Trump asked for two weeks to respond to the gag order request and requested the judge to wait until the court’s probation office reviews with prosecutors about the necessity before beginning the response period.