As Special Counsel Jack Smith continues his investigation into former President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents, he has requested a gag order, similar to the one Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg recently imposed on Trump in New York. The special counsel filed a request with Judge Aileen Cannon, stating that “former president may not make statements that pose a significant, imminent, and foreseeable danger to law enforcement agents participating in the investigation and prosecution of this case.
The filing comes in response to Trump’s repeated mischaracterizations of the FBI search at Mar-a-Lago, which he has portrayed as an attempt on his life and that of his family. The special counsel argues that such statements endanger law enforcement officers involved in the investigation and prosecution of the case, as well as threatening the integrity of the proceedings.
The request for a gag order follows Republicans’ criticism of the language used in the search warrant, which authorized the use of “deadly force” for FBI agents executing the raid. However, the FBI explained that this same language was used in the search warrant for President Joe Biden’s residence and is standard protocol for all search warrants. The FBI emphasizes that it followed standard practices in the execution of both warrants.
Despite these explanations, Trump continued to attack the language in his search warrant on his Truth Social account. He accused Biden and his administration of being “mentally unfit” and called for the use of the 25th Amendment to remove him from office. In response, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung criticized the Department of Justice’s actions as attempts to interfere in the election and silence President Trump.
Smith argues that Trump’s statements and those of his associates are “intentionally false and inflammatory,” meant to distort the circumstances under which the FBI planned and executed the search warrant at Mar-a-Lago. These statements, he claims, create a misleading impression about the intentions and conduct of federal law enforcement agents, putting them at risk for threats, violence, and harassment.
The filing by the special counsel highlights the ongoing efforts to control the narrative surrounding the investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents. As the case proceeds, it remains to be seen whether a gag order will be imposed and how it may impact the prosecution and the former president’s defense strategy.
