Federal prosecutors alerted U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan Friday to a social media post from former President Donald Trump that attorneys claim specifically referenced people involved in his criminal case.
Following his arraignment in a Washington, D.C., district court Thursday, Trump posted to his Truth Social account, “If you go after me, I’m coming after you!” The attorneys on Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team argued that the post referred to those involved in Trump’s case “specifically or by implication,” POLITICO reported.
Team Trump fired back with a statement on Saturday, saying the post was not in reference to anyone involved in his criminal case.
“The Truth post cited is the definition of political speech, and was in response to the RINO, China-loving, dishonest special interest groups and Super PACs, like the ones funded by the Koch brothers and the Club for No Growth,” the statement said.
The prosecutors said the post raises concerns that Trump might share evidence about the case on his social media account, and they urged the judge to order Trump to keep any evidence shared with his team from public view. So far, Smith has not sought a gag order against Trump in either the January 6 case or the classified documents case.
“All the proposed order seeks to prevent is the improper dissemination or use of discovery materials, including to the public,” Senior Assistant Special Counsels Molly Gaston and Thomas Windom wrote. “Such a restriction is particularly important in this case because the defendant has previously issued public statements on social media regarding witnesses, judges, attorneys, and others associated with legal matters pending against him. … And in recent days, regarding this case, the defendant has issued multiple posts—either specifically or by implication—including the following, which the defendant posted just hours ago.”
Trump was indicted earlier this week on four charges related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, which included conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. The former president was arraigned Thursday and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Trump attorney Alina Habba spoke outside the D.C. courthouse at the time of the arraignment, accusing the Department of Justice of targeting Trump to cover up negative news about President Joe Biden and his family.
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“This is election interference at its finest against the leading candidate, right now, for president of either party. President Trump is under siege in a way that we have never seen before,” Habba said.
The indictment, delivered by Smith, is the third criminal case brought against Trump in the past year. In June, he pleaded not guilty to charges in connection to his handling of classified documents. In April, Trump pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from his alleged hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels.