WASHINGTON: The prosecutor leading the federal election meddling case against former US president Donald Trump has asked a judge to impose limits on his statements regarding the trial.

“The defendant has an established practice of issuing inflammatory public statements targeted at individuals or institutions that present an obstacle or challenge to him,” Smith said in a filing in US District Court, asking Judge Tanya Chutkan to impose some “narrow” limits on Trump’s statements outside the court.

“This demonstrates the need to protect potential jurors from fear of threats and harassment that stem from the defendants (Trump’s) disparaging and inflammatory public statements,” prosecutors wrote.

The prosecutors want Trump restricted from giving statements about “the identity, testimony, or credibility of prospective witnesses.”

They also want restrictions on comments about “any party, witness, attorney, court personnel, or potential jurors that are disparaging and inflammatory, or intimidating.”

“This is nothing more than blatant election interference because President Trump is by far the leading candidate in this race,” a Trump spokesperson said in a statement.

Chutkan has given Trump’s legal team until Sept 25 to respond to the government request.

Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has been charged with four felony counts for allegedly plotting to subvert the results of the 2020 election. It is one of four criminal cases he faces. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Judge Chutkan previously warned Trump against making statements that could threaten witnesses or taint the jury pool. As a condition of his release, he also agreed not to make threats against those involved in the case.

Earlier this week, Trump filed a motion asking the judge to recuse herself from the case, citing her prior statements about some defendants in previous Jan 6 cases reveal bias.

Chutkan last month set a trial date of March 4 for the federal case in Washington. That is one day before “Super Tuesday,” a potentially decisive date in the Republican presidential race, when states from Maine to California will hold their nominating contests. Opinion polls show Trump leading his rivals by a wide margin.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2023