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The U.S. Justice Department has asked the federal judge overseeing the criminal case against former U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington to step in after he released a post online that appeared to promise revenge on anyone who goes after him.
Prosecutors on Friday requested that U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan issue a protective order concerning evidence in the case, a day after Trump pleaded not guilty to charges of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss and block the peaceful transition of power.
The order would limit what information Trump and his legal team could share publicly about the case brought by special counsel Jack Smith.
Chutkan on Saturday gave Trump's legal team until 5 p.m. Monday to respond to the government's request. Trump's legal team filed a request to extend the response deadline to Thursday, which was denied by Chutkan on Saturday evening.
On his Truth Social site on Friday, Trump wrote, "IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I'M COMING AFTER YOU!"
Protective orders are common in criminal cases, but prosecutors said it's "particularly important in this case" because Trump has posted on social media about "witnesses, judges, attorneys, and others associated with legal matters pending against him."
If Trump were to begin posting about grand jury transcripts or other evidence provided by the Justice Department, it could have a "harmful chilling effect on witnesses or adversely affect the fair administration of justice in this case," prosecutors said.
Trump, the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges, has been indicted on three separate occasions this year.
Trump on Thursday slammed the charges are "unprecedented weaponization" of the justice system, hours before he was due to appear in a courtroom to answer charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election.
"The Dems don't want to run against me, or they would not be doing this unprecedented weaponization of 'Justice.' But soon, in 2024, it will be our turn," he said on Truth Social.
(CGTN)
