Judge Bruce Reinhart granted a motion by the Justice Department, resulting in Donald Trump being barred from speaking publicly about the classified documents case. The former president will only be able to see the evidence in the presence of his lawyers and will not be able to divulge any information about it.
This legal muzzle against the former president is similar to the one implemented in the New York case, where Alvin Bragg charged him with 34 counts of falsifying business records. As for the classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, Trump will also be unable to comment on social media or in conversations with journalists.
“Defendants shall only have access to Discovery Materials under the direct supervision of Defense Counsel or a member of Defense Counsel’s staff. Defendants shall not retain copies of Discovery Material,” the judge wrote in the order released Monday, June 19.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) sent the request on Friday, arguing that these disclosure restrictions were necessary because the ongoing investigation could lead to further arrests.
Update: Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart has granted Special Counsel Jack Smith's motion for a protective order to limit the dissemination of evidence in the classified documents case. https://t.co/gpCIp5Hbtv pic.twitter.com/hI19wKAvXp
— Anna Bower (@AnnaBower) June 19, 2023
“The materials also include information pertaining to ongoing investigations, the disclosure of which could compromise those investigations and identify uncharged individuals,” they said.
What is Trump being accused of?
According to the DOJ, Trump kept high-level material after leaving the White House, improperly shared it with individuals without authorization, and tried to block any attempt to retrieve the documents. Following the formal accusation, the former president revamped his legal team.
Specifically, the most complicated legal figure for the tycoon is that of “obstruction of justice,” which is precisely what differentiates his case from that of Joe Biden, who voluntarily handed over the classified documents he had in his garage next to his car.
According to Senator Ted Cruz, “The double standard is a massive problem for the Justice Department and right now Merrick Garland and Jack Smith have done nothing to address this. That said, the obstruction lawsuits are where the greatest legal danger lies,” he added.
