Courtroom sketch depicts an exchange between Judge Tania Chatkan and Donald Trump’s attorneys.
Donald Trump calls the judge presiding over his convicts on Friday election interference case The “most evil man” in Washington, D.C., ordered the release of nearly 1,900 pages of previously sealed documents filed by prosecutors.
Trump suggested that U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan release the documents to harm the Republican presidential candidate’s chances in the November election.
“Right now, this is a terrible thing, something that’s happening, and this judge, this judge is the most evil person,” Trump said on social media. Dan Bongino’s Podcast.
“What judge is going to say, ‘We’re going to release something a few days ago?'” the former president asked.
Trump said it was “unbelievable” that Chatkan had released documents from special counsel Jack Smith, whom he called “a sick puppy.”
“They’re going to release other stuff, and it’s always before the election,” Trump said. “You know, they want to do it before the election. So interfere with the election.”
Smith accused Trump of crimes related to his attempts to overturn his loss to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
In an order on Thursday, Chatkan rejected arguments from Trump’s lawyers that the documents should be released after the November presidential election, in which the Republican faces Democratic nominee Kamala Kamala, the current vice president. Harris.
Trump’s lawyers argued that unsealing the records early could be considered election interference.
But on the contrary, the delay requested by Trump “carries the risk of harming the public interest,” Chatkan wrote.
“If a court withholds information to which the public has a right to access simply because of the possible political consequences of its release, that withholding may itself constitute — or appear to be — election interference,” Chatkan wrote.
Chatkan wrote in a previous order that Trump “has repeatedly accused the administration of malicious partisanship.”
“These allegations, for which the defendants offer no support, continue a pattern of defense filings that focus on political rhetoric rather than addressing current legal issues,” the judge wrote. “This focus is not only unresponsive and unhelpful to the court, it is also unhelpful. Befits an experienced defense attorney and undermines the judicial process in this case.”
Trump’s attorney, John Lauro, had no immediate comment on Trump’s characterization of the judge.
Smith’s spokesman, Peter Carr, declined to comment.
“Defendant’s objections include his standard and unsupported assertions that the administration’s position was improperly motivated,” Smith’s office wrote in a filing responding to Trump lawyers’ proposal to redact the released documents. political considerations.
“This allegation is false, as is the court’s denial of defendants’ motion to dismiss the case as selective and retaliatory prosecution,” prosecutors wrote.
Trump’s comments Friday about Chutkan come a year after a judge imposed limited gag order The statement prohibits him and other “interested persons… from making any public statement, or directing others to make any public statement, directed at” Smith or his staff, defense counsel or “this Court.” any staff or other support staff” personnel. “
“Defendants’ presidential candidacy does not excuse statements that would intolerably jeopardize these proceedings,” Chatkan wrote in the order.
The gag order did not prevent Trump from commenting on Chatkan himself.
In December, a federal appeals court upheld the gag order but narrowed the conditions, ruling that Trump should not be barred from making personal comments about Smith.
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