Prosecutors with the Department of Justice has asked U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan to issue a protective order against former President Donald Trump after his threatening post on Truth Social.
Even though Trump was clearly warned at his third arraignment in Washington DC not to threaten or try to retaliate against anyone connected in any way to the case, he chose to not heed the court order. Openly flouting the warning, the ex-POTUS said in a post on his Truth Social account: “If You Go After Me, I’m Coming After You.”
During his arraignment, Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya, who was presiding over the case, warned him to behave himself while he awaits trial. “It is a crime to try to influence a juror or to threaten or attempt to bribe a witness or any other person who may have information about your case, or to retaliate against anyone for providing information about your case to the prosecution, or to otherwise obstruct the administration of justice,” she said.
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The judge also added a warning that if Trump violated the conditions of release, “You may be held pending trial in this case.”
“Do you understand these warnings and consequences, sir?” she asked, to which Trump responded “yes.”
What is a protective order?
A protective order is different from a “gag order.” The order, if granted, could limit what Trump and his legal team could publicly share about the case, brought by special counsel Jack Smith. Trump pleaded not guilty to charges of trying to overturn the 2020 election results and obstruct the peaceful transition of power.
According to UpCounsel, “A protective order is commonly used to protect a party or witness from unreasonable or invasive discovery requests (for example, harassing questions in a deposition, or an unnecessary medical examination). Less often, a temporary restraining order issued to prohibit domestic violence is referred to as a protective order.”
Prosecutors have asked the judge to grant the protective order against Trump, saying, 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.”
They further argued that since they are preparing to hand over to Trump’s legal team a “substantial” amount of evidence that includes “much of which includes sensitive and confidential information” it could have a “harmful chilling effect on witnesses or adversely affect the fair administration of justice in this case” if Trump were to begin posting about the same on social media.
