A federal judge has reinstated a gag order on former President Donald Trump in the Washington case accusing him of attempting to overturn the 2020 election results. The order, which was imposed by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan at the request of the Justice Department, prohibits Trump from targeting the special counsel involved in his case or potential witnesses.
Initially, the gag order was temporarily lifted on October 20 after Trump’s lawyers filed an appeal. However, Judge Chutkan reversed that decision on Sunday evening, denying Trump’s request for a stay pending appeal. Unfortunately, a copy of the judge’s written decision reinstating the gag order is not currently available.
In response to the reinstatement of the gag order, Trump expressed his frustration on Truth Social, stating, “The Corrupt Biden Administration just took away my First Amendment Right To Free Speech. NOT CONSTITUTIONAL!”
Trump has a history of making disparaging comments about Special Counsel Jack Smith, whom he has referred to as a “deranged lunatic” and a “thug.” Additionally, Trump has made similar remarks about prosecutors involved in his four criminal cases, as well as the New York state attorney general who brought civil fraud charges against him.
The charges against Trump allege that he conspired to interfere unlawfully in the vote counting process and obstruct the congressional certification of his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
Reporting by Brad Heath and Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Michelle Nichols, Diane Craft, and Gerry Doyle.
