Special counsel Jack Smith is seeking to impose a gag order on Donald Trump after the former president suggested that the FBI was authorized to assassinate him during their 2022 raid on Mar-a-Lago.
This move follows last week’s revelation that the FBI had been given authorization to use “deadly force” during the August raid.
In response, Trump claimed that FBI agents were prepared to shoot him and endanger his family, a statement he made in a campaign email, according to CBS News.
Smith’s team refuted this claim in a court filing related to the classified documents case against Trump, asserting that these statements falsely implied that law enforcement agents were part of a plot to assassinate him.
The prosecution argued that these comments could expose the agents, some of whom will testify at trial, to threats, violence, and harassment.
Smith’s team requested the court to restrict Trump from making public statements that could endanger the agents involved in the case. Trump’s lawyers opposed the motion, arguing that there is no imminent danger.
The FBI stated that the bureau was following standard protocol during the search and that the policy would limit the use of deadly force, as reported by the Daily Wire.
Trump’s reelection campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung, suggested that prosecutors seeking the gag order are trying to influence the 2024 election.
Cheung criticized the efforts to silence Trump during the presidential campaign, describing them as blatant attempts to interfere in the election, according to CNN.
Neither Trump’s defense team nor Judge Aileen Cannon have yet responded to the request. The classified documents trial has been indefinitely postponed by Judge Cannon, with no new date set.
Trump is currently under two separate gag orders: one related to his New York hush money case and another in Smith’s case against him concerning election interference in 2020.
Trump has been repeatedly fined for violating his gag order in the hush money case, a fine he says he will continue to pay. He has been penalized for making statements about the judge, Juan Merchan, and members of his family.
Trump has repeatedly questioned why Merchan does not recuse himself from the case, citing that his daughter worked as a consultant for Democratic politicians.
In a post on Truth Social before the trial began, Trump complained about the limited time given to review documents and alleged that the timing of the trial was an attempt to interfere with his presidential campaign. He described the situation as an unprecedented attack on his candidacy, coordinated with the White House.
