US special prosecutor requests an order to limit Trump's statements

 US Special Prosecutor Jack Smith asked Judge Tanya Chatkin - yesterday, Friday - to issue a gag order against former President Donald Trump before his federal trial on charges of attempting to falsify the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Smith considered before the Washington Federal Court that Trump's repeated criticism of Justice Department officials, Washington residents, and the judge in charge of the case, Tanya Chatkin, may affect the positions of the jury, which will be composed of residents.

Trump quickly responded on his “Truth Social” platform by saying, “They are leaking information, lying, suing, and will not allow me to speak.” Trump previously accused Chatkin of "hating him" and described the special prosecutor's office as a "team of thugs."

Smith considered that Trump's statements "may have a tangible impact on the impartiality of the jury and, at the same time, on the testimony of witnesses." He added in a court document that anyone reading or hearing Trump's comments "may reasonably fear that they will be the next target of the defendant's attacks."

Trump is considered the most likely to win the Republican Party nomination in the 2024 US presidential elections, but as of next March, the former president faces trial proceedings in Washington in the case of attempting to tamper with the results of the 2020 presidential elections, which he lost to his Democratic rival, Joe Biden.

Trump's trial will begin on March 4, 2024, the eve of Super Tuesday, which is the day Republican voters cast their votes in the party's primary elections to choose their nominee.

Until then, Smith is seeking to have the Republican billionaire banned from making any disparaging remarks about anyone named in the case or who may be mentioned or about future witnesses.

The prosecutor's office considered that Trump's statements turned into real threats, noting that "it is clear that these threats are caused by repeated statements issued by the defendant."

In mid-August, a woman was arrested in Texas on the grounds of making death threats to Judge Chatkin, who has not yet responded to Smith's request to limit Trump's comments before his trial.

Trump faces four criminal trials next year during the Republican Party primary election season, which begins next January, and at the height of the presidential campaign in November 2024.