Prosecutors are again urging a federal judge to compelDonald Trumpto stop spreading false allegations that the FBI had permission to kill him during a search of his Florida residence in August 2022.
Four days after U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon rejected a similar request, special counsel Jack Smith’s team filed a motion yesterday, reported Politico.
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Cannon criticized prosecutors for not adequately attempting to resolve the issue with Trump’s lawyers before seeking judicial intervention, using unusually blunt language, the report added.
Filed Friday evening, the new motion reiterates the central argument: Trump’s assertions of FBI authorization for deadly force endanger agents involved in the search or linked to the ongoing criminal case, according to Politico.
Trump faces accusations of hoarding classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and obstructing the related investigation.
Prosecutors’ Argument
“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,” prosecutorsJay Bratt and David Harbach wrote.
Additionally, they cautioned that these claims could influence prospective jurors in the case, which currently lacks a set trial date.
In the latest filing, prosecutors enumerate a range of social media posts and political fundraising emails where Trump has propagated inflammatory and erroneous assertions, including”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,” Politico reported.
Trump’s remarks seem to have been prompted by the wording in an FBI operations plan regarding the search, which outlined guidelines for when agents could employ lethal force.
Nevertheless, FBI officials have clarified that such language is customary in nearly all operational plans and is intended to restrict rather than increase the use of force.
Furthermore, prosecutors honored a request from Cannon, a Trump appointee, to convey Trump’s defense without any editorializing.
Notably, Smith refrained from requesting an expedited consideration of the matter from Cannon for the second time.
Trump’s Response and Court Procedure:
Trump has requested a two-week period to respond to the gag order request and urged the judge to commence this timeframe only after the court’s probation office officials weigh in on whether they agree with the prosecutors regarding the necessity of a gag order.
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