Trump Says He’ll Reject Protective Order Sought By Jack Smith: ‘I Will Talk’

Former President Donald Trump appeared ready to challenge a court order requested by Special Counsel Jack Smith, which would impose restrictions on his public comments regarding the events of January 6.

On Tuesday, Trump declared that he intended to speak out about the criminal charges levied against him in connection to his alleged attempts to subvert the 2020 election, decrying what he characterized as an infringement upon his First Amendment rights, as reported by NBC News.

The outlet added:

Last week, Special Counsel Jack Smith asked U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan to impose a so-called protective order that would prevent Trump from disclosing evidence the government turns over to his lawyers as part of the discovery process.

Trump’s own lawyers chose not to object to a protective order and instead requested that the judge put in place a version that is “less restrictive” than the one proposed by the government. Trump’s lawyers asked Chutkan to shield only “genuinely sensitive materials” in order to protect his rights.

But Trump is fighting on multiple fronts as he tries to beat three indictments and win back the presidency. On Tuesday, when he chided prosecutors and President Joe Biden, Trump was battling in the political arena at a rally here.

During a rally in Windham, N.H., President Trump suggested that President Joe Biden was attempting to limit his First Amendment rights by having “the thug prosecutor, this deranged guy,” file a court order.

He further remarked that not responding to questions from the media regarding the case would be unfavorable for votes as he seeks re-election next year.

“I will talk about it, I will,” he said. “They’re not taking away my First Amendment rights.”

Apart from the federal charges related to the contested 2020 election, former President Trump is facing indictments in state court in New York and federal court in Florida.

Additionally, there remains a risk of potential state charges being pursued against him in Georgia, where he sought to contest his loss in the 2020 state election. On Monday,

Judge Chutkan denied a request from Trump’s legal team to postpone a hearing for a possible protective order beyond the Friday deadline that had been established.

Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team said that they were prepared for a hearing any day this week, but Trump’s attorneys said they were busy and asked for a delay.

“President Trump will not appear. However, he would like to have both his counsel John Lauro and Todd Blanche at the hearing. Todd Blanche is not available on Thursday, since he must appear for a court proceeding in the prosecution brought against the same defendant, President Trump, by the Special Counsel in SD Florida. Mr. Lauro is available on Thursday, with a preference for an afternoon setting. However, since we lost Friday as an option, we would respectfully request a setting on Monday (after 12:00 p.m.) or Tuesday (all day) to allow for both Mr. Blanche and Mr. Lauro to be present,” Trump’s attorneys said in their plea.

On Tuesday, Bill O’Reilly, a former Fox News star and associate of President Donald Trump, informed radio host Sid Rosenberg that there is one potential witness in the case surrounding the events of January 6th who could prove damaging to the former president.

“So there’s only one guy that can convict Donald Trump, and that’s Mike Pence,” he said. “If Pence goes into the courtroom and says ‘Donald Trump knew the election was not a fraud, but he said it anyway, and I can prove it, and here’s the proof,’ Donald Trump goes down.”

He expressed his skepticism that the former vice president could present evidence but remarked that “should an individual such as Mark Meadows confirm the conversation in which President Trump allegedly said X, Y and Z, it would be highly damaging to any potential trial outcome.”

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