Manhattan district attorney's office prosecutors have requested that the judge presiding over the criminal case against former President Donald Trump impose a protective order to limit his ability to divulge information about the investigation. Trump's legal team, however, has refused to comply with such an order.
Prosecutors argue that Trump has a significant likelihood of misusing sensitive information, as he has a track record of publicly discussing his legal issues and intimidating witnesses, jurors, investigators, prosecutors, and judges on social media and other public platforms. They note that he has already engaged in this behavior in the current case.
The charges against Trump allege that he intentionally falsified business records to hide illegal actions related to his 2016 presidential campaign. These criminal accusations stem from an investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg into payments made during the 2016 campaign to women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump, which he denies. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
In their request for a protective order, prosecutors highlight Trump's previous attacks on witnesses who have spoken out against him, such as his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen and former national security official Alexander Vindman. They propose that Trump only be allowed to view specific materials provided by the prosecution in the presence of his defense counsel and that he not be permitted to duplicate any material labeled as "limited dissemination materials."
Moreover, they request that the judge instruct all recipients of case-related materials, including grand jury testimony, to refrain from sharing these materials on news or social media websites without the judge's consent. The prosecution also requests that any materials provided to Trump only be used in defense of the current case.
While not seeking a gag order, prosecutors emphasize that they respect Trump's constitutional right to speak publicly about the case. They also request that the judge restrict access to images of two cell phones connected to a witness, containing highly personal information, to Trump's defense lawyers only.
Lastly, prosecutors ask the judge to limit public disclosure of the prosecution team's support staff's identifying information until jury selection begins in the case.
