CNN —Federal Judge Aileen Cannon on Tuesday rejected special counsel Jack Smith’s request for a gag order against Donald Trump in the classified documents case, saying that prosecutors’ efforts to confer with the defendant was “wholly lacking in substance and professional courtesy.”In a brief order, Cannon slammed prosecutors for not following the court’s rules by failing to meaningfully confer with Trump’s defense lawyers about a potential gag order before making the request.
Prosecutors can ask for a gag order again, Cannon said, once they give “sufficient time” to Trump’s defense team to read the motion and discuss it with prosecutors.
Trump’s campaign, for instance, sent a fundraising email on Tuesday that claimed FBI agents were “locked and loaded” and that he “nearly escaped death” at Mar-a-Lago.
The same standard FBI policy was used in the searches of President Joe Biden’s homes and offices in a separate classified documents investigation.
In a blistering court filing late on Memorial Day, attorneys for Trump said that the gag order request was an “extraordinary, unprecedented, and unconstitutional censorship application” to target Trump’s speech as he runs for president.
Persons:
Aileen Cannon, Jack Smith’s, Donald Trump, ”, Cannon, ” Cannon, Trump, “, Joe Biden’s, Trump’s
Organizations:
CNN, FBI, Thought Police
Locations:
Mar