WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith warned Tuesday that former President Donald Trump's “daily” statements risk tainting a jury pool in Washington in the criminal case charging him with scheming to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Trump's provocative comments about both Smith's team and U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan — who is presiding over the case — have been a central issue since the indictment was filed last month.
Prosecutors have repeatedly signaled their concerns about the impact of Trump's social media posts and Chutkan explicitly warned Trump against inflammatory remarks that could intimidate witnesses or contaminate potential jurors.
Chutkan agreed with the Trump team that it should have time to respond to the Justice Department's filings and set deadlines for next week.
Trump faces three other prosecutions besides the federal election subversion case.
Persons:
Jack Smith, Donald Trump's “, Tanya Chutkan —, Trump, Chutkan, Smith, ”, He's, ____, Eric Tucker
Organizations:
WASHINGTON, —, U.S, Prosecutors, Trump, New, Department, Justice Department, Twitter
Locations:
Washington, New York, Atlanta, Georgia