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   Judge warns Trump not to threaten witnesses in 2020 election subversion   
   case By Sarah N. Lynch   
   August 11, 20233:42 PM EDTUpdated 34 min ago   
      
      
   WASHINGTON, Aug 11 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday granted former   
   U.S. President Donald Trump leeway to publicly share some non-sensitive   
   evidence that will be used in his trial on charges of plotting to overturn   
   the 2020 election, but she warned him to tread carefully before making   
   inflammatory public statements about the case.   
      
   “Even arguably ambiguous statements by the parties or their counsel- if   
   they can be reasonably interpreted to intimidate witnesses or to prejudice   
   potential jurors - can threaten the process," U.S. District Judge Tanya   
   Chutkan said on Friday. Advertisement · Scroll to continue   
      
   “I caution you and your client to take special care in your public   
   statements about this case. I will take whatever measures are necessary to   
   safeguard the integrity of these proceedings.”   
      
   Chutkan's warning came at a federal court hearing on Friday where   
   prosecutors and Trump's lawyers hashed out disagreements over how much   
   evidence in the case Trump can share with the public.   
      
   Chutkan's decision to permit Trump to share some non-sensitive material   
   went against the objections of prosecutors, who pointed to threatening   
   messages Trump posted last week on social media as evidence that he might   
   try to use details of the confidential evidence to intimidate witnesses.   
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   The judge ruled that the government had not met its burden to show why all   
   of the evidence should be subject to a "protective order," which   
   safeguards evidence from being shared with the public in order to prevent   
   witness intimidation or tainting a jury pool.   
      
   At the same time, however, she agreed to protect certain records from   
   disclosure that Trump wanted to share, such as excerpts from the hundreds   
   of transcripts of witness interviews and recordings. Advertisement ·   
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   She later officially approved a protective order that will allow Trump to   
   share any records that are already in the public domain or that he   
   obtained independently.   
      
   He is not, however, permitted to share other kinds of materials such as   
   those arising from the grand jury or items obtained through sealed search   
   warrants.   
      
   “He is a criminal defendant. He is going to have restrictions like every   
   single other defendant. This case is proceeding in the normal order,”   
   Chutkan said.   
      
   “The fact the defendant is engaged in a political campaign is not going to   
   allow him any greater or lesser latitude than any defendant in a criminal   
   case."   
      
   The charges at issue in Friday's hearing are one of three prosecutions   
   currently targeting Trump, the front-runner in the 2024 Republican   
   presidential nomination race.   
      
   Trump has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges that he orchestrated a   
   plot to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election to keep   
   himself in power.   
      
   “The existence of a political campaign is not going to have any bearing on   
   my decision,” Chutkan said.   
      
   It is standard for federal prosecutors to request protective orders before   
   sharing evidence with defense lawyers to protect confidential records and   
   ensure the integrity of the trial.   
      
   Often, defense lawyers do not oppose them because doing so slows down the   
   government's production of evidence, a process known as "discovery," to   
   help them prepare.   
      
   But Trump's attorneys said the scope of the protective order was too   
   broad, and ran afoul of his constitutionally-protected free speech rights.   
      
   "This kind of blanket order is extraordinary," Trump's lawyer John Lauro   
   said on Friday. "We have to face the fact we are in uncharted waters."   
      
   Federal prosecutors revealed on Friday that they will soon release to   
   Trump's defense team 11.6 million pages and records of evidence, in   
   addition to a hard drive containing images extracted from electronic   
   devices. 'I'M COMING AFTER YOU'   
      
   The government's request for a protective order last week cited a   
   threatening message Trump posted last week on social media: "IF YOU GO   
   AFTER ME, I'M COMING AFTER YOU."   
      
   Since then, Trump has also attacked Smith's character as well as that of   
   former Vice President Mike Pence, a key witness in the case, calling his   
   former No.2 "delusional."   
      
   As a condition of his release, Trump agreed he would not try to intimidate   
   or threaten any witnesses in the case, though no one has accused him of   
   violating those conditions.   
      
   Chutkan sought to remind Trump's lawyers about this on Friday, saying she   
   will be watching his statements and "scrutinizing them very carefully."   
      
   Trump is separately facing a second set of charges brought by Smith's   
   office in Florida for retaining highly classified records after leaving   
   the White House and New York state charges over hush-money payments to a   
   porn star.   
      
   He has pleaded not guilty in those cases as well.   
      
   At Friday's hearing, prosecutors asked the judge not to let Trump view   
   sensitive evidence in a room by himself, noting he has been criminally   
   charged in the Florida case with willfully retaining classified material.   
      
   “He has shown a tendency to hold onto material," prosecutor Thomas Windom   
   said.   
      
   Chutkan ruled that Trump will be allowed to view the evidence without his   
   lawyers present, but during that time he will be banned from having access   
   to electronic devices.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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