The D.C. District Court will hear Special Counsel Jack Smith’s request to gag President Trump from certain types of comments about his election case.
The D.C. District Court is holding a hearing on Oct. 16 over the Biden administration’s request for a gag order on former President Donald Trump.
Special Counsel Jack Smith had requested on Sept. 15 that Judge Tanya Chutkan prohibit President Trump from making certain types of statements about witnesses and others involved with the case. Mr. Smith’s filing also asked that President Trump’s legal team obtain court authorization before conducting a poll of prospective jurors for the case.
President Trump’s attorneys responded to Mr. Smith on Sept. 25 by accusing the Justice Department of attempting to impose unconstitutional prior restraints on their client’s political speech.
“The prosecution now asks the Court to take the extraordinary step of stripping President Trump of his First Amendment freedoms during the most important months of his campaign against President Biden,” the filing reads.
The hearing on Oct. 16 is in preparation for the trial starting March 4 over President Trump’s actions surrounding the 2020 election. More specifically, Mr. Smith is accusing the former president of attempting to defraud the United States, attempting to obstruct proceedings on Jan. 6, 2021, and conspiring to disenfranchise voters.
He’s currently also facing election-related charges in Georgia, as well as some in Florida over his handling of classified documents.
In New York, President Trump faces additional charges related to his business activity. The judge in that case, Judge Arthur Engoron, told the former president to delete a social media post targeting clerk Allison Greenfield and a photo of her posing with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
