U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a protective order on Friday over the case against former President Donald Trump and his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The move limits the use and disclosure of “sensitive” material, as defined by President Joe Biden’s administration.
During a federal hearing in Washington, D.C. on Friday, Trump’s legal team argued only “sensitive” materials should be restricted. Chutkan agreed, but sided with the government on what constitutes “sensitive” information, including all recordings, transcripts and reports of witness testimony.
She also allowed prosecutors to determine which records should be deemed “sensitive.”
“Mr. Trump, like every American, has a First Amendment right to free speech,” Chutkan said. “But that right is not absolute.”
A federal grand jury recently indicted Trump over his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Trump – who is widely considered Biden’s top competitor in the 2024 presidential race – was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
“Despite having lost, the Defendant was determined to remain in power. So for more than two months following election day on November 3, 2020, the Defendant spread lies that there had been outcome-determinative fraud in the election and that he had actually won,” the indictment states.
“These claims were false, and the Defendant knew that they were false. But the Defendant repeated and widely disseminated them anyway — to make his knowingly false claims appear legitimate, create an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger, and erode public faith in the administration of the election,” it continues.
Yesterday, Trump posted about his indictments on Truth Social, blaming Biden for his mounting legal troubles.
“These Fake Indictments against me didn’t come down from heaven, they came from the most corrupt President in the history of the United States, Crooked Joe Biden, in order to Rig & Steal another Election. They shouldn’t even be allowed to go forward. They are all about Election Interference and getting even with the Republicans for the Congressional Hearings currently taking place that show Joe Biden is a CROOK!” Trump wrote.
This was a breaking news story. The details were periodically updated as more information became available.
