Trump news: Trump warned by Jan 6 case judge as she limits what he can say on the campaign trail
Trump claims Georgia DA had an affair with a gang member
The first hearing in the criminal case against Donald Trump arising from his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election has concluded in Washington, DC.
US District Judge Tanya Chutkan is presiding over the case brought by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith following a grand jury investigation into the allegations against the former president.
Today she ruled on the matter of a protective order in the case and will allow some evidence provided in discovery to be made public if it is not deemed “sensitive” by the government.
Judge Chutkan rejected more restrictive language on the grounds that Mr Trump’s conduct with regard to the non-sensitive discovery is still governed by his release conditions and the rules of the court.
Mr Trump will also be subject to restrictions about how he can view “sensitive” documents. Judge Chutkan said she will be watching closely and warned if his public statement were deemed to be tainting the jury pool then “the greater the urgency will be that we proceed to trial quickly”.
She added: “I will take whatever measures are necessary to safeguard the integrity of these proceedings.”
Prosecutors have asked for a four-to-six-week trial beginning on 2 January 2024.
Report: Special counsel wants to interview Biden about classified documents
The special counsel appointed to investigate President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents has been negotiating with the president’s lawyers over the terms under which he would be interviewed, according to a report.
Attorneys for Mr Biden and special counsel Robert Hur’s office are focused on the logistics of the interview and the scope of the questions, sources told NBC News.
Oliver O’Connell12 August 2023 07:30
Trump lawyer shut down by judge as he claims protective order would give Biden ‘advantage’
The federal Washington, DC judge in the 2020 election interference case against former President Donald Trump rejected the notion put forward by lead defence lawyer John Lauro that a protective order barring Mr Trump from speaking about the evidence in the case would be an “enormous advantage” to President Joe Biden.
Judge Tanya Chutkan told Mr Lauro during the protective order hearing on Friday that Mr Trump’s campaigning “has to yield to the orderly administration of justice”.
“That’s how it’s going to have to be,” she added.
Gustaf Kilander reports on the rest of the exchange between attorney and judge.
Oliver O’Connell12 August 2023 05:30
Full story: ‘Inflammatory statements’ will have consequences judge warns Trump
Donald Trump notched a win in the fight over a protective order in the 2020 election case as the judge ruled that some of the evidence that will be provided to him in the pre-trial discovery process won’t be restricted from dissemination if it’s not deemed “sensitive” by the government.
US District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled on Friday that the protective order will only apply to sensitive materials such as grand jury transcripts, witness interview records, and other documents that could identify witnesses or be used to poison the pool of potential jurors who will be responsible for deciding the ex-president’s fate when he goes on trial next year.
Andrew Feinberg filed this report from the E Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington, DC.
Oliver O’Connell12 August 2023 04:30
Pence is heckled as a ‘traitor’ by Trump supporter at Iowa State Fair
Supporters of former president Donald Trump heckled former vice president Mike Pence as a “traitor” as he visited the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines on Thursday.
A video from Iowa Starting Line showed a fellow fairgoer yelling at the former vice president for not being a true Christian.
Oliver O’Connell12 August 2023 03:30
Truth Social tipped off FBI about Utah man who threatened to kill Biden
Truth Social tipped off authorities to the concerning online posts of one of Donald Trump’s followers months before he was shot dead by the FBI during a raid prompted by his threats to kill President Joe Biden, it has been revealed.
A senior law enforcement official told NBC News that the former president’s social media company alerted the FBI back in March about a particular post left by Craig Deleeuw Robertson on the platform.
Rachel Sharp has the details.
Oliver O’Connell12 August 2023 02:30
Hunter Biden case prosecutor given special counsel status by Garland
Mr Garland announced that David Weiss, who has served as the US Attorney for Delaware since 2018, would serve as special counsel and he had informed relevant members of Congress about the nomination.
Eric Garcia reports from Washington, DC.
Oliver O’Connell12 August 2023 01:30
Trump defence team appears not to know in which year Jan 6 took place
In a new legal filing, the prosecutor criticised the former president’s attorneys for writing that Mr Smith’s team “has been investigating this matter for three and a half years, while the defense is starting with a blank slate”.
“Not only is this claim impossible, as January 6, 2021, was two and a half years ago, but it is disingenuous,” the Special Counsel’s office wrote.
Gustaf Kilander has the story.
Oliver O’Connell12 August 2023 00:30
Former prosecutor says Jack Smith using past experience with autocrats against Trump
Former prosecutor Renato Mariotti has claimed Jack Smith is using insights he gained from his role at the Hague to bring Donald Trump to justice for his role in the 2020 efforts to overturn the election.
Maroosha Muzaffar reports.
Oliver O’Connell11 August 2023 23:50
Fani Willis tells staff to ignore Trump’s ‘derogatory and false’ attacks
The district attorney of Fulton County issued a memorandum to her office staff denouncing a new lie being told about her by Donald Trump and his allies while instructing them to not comment publicly on the matter.
Fani Willis issued the memo after the Trump campaign began running an ad spot in the state suggesting falsely that she had been engaged in an extramarital affair with a rapper who was the target of a racketeering probe launched by Ms Willis’s office, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) reported on Wednesday.
Oliver O’Connell11 August 2023 23:10
Michael Cohen reveals he’s considering running for Congress
“I am interested and there’s a multitude of folks encouraging me to run,” the former president’s former fixer told Semafor.
Oliver O’Connell11 August 2023 22:50
