Last week, Donald Trump was arraigned for the third time, during which he promised not to post threatening messages about his case. However, he quickly broke that promise by dropping an all-caps post on Friday, vowing revenge against those who “go after” him.
Special counsel Jack Smith, who presented Trump with his third indictment, interpreted this post as a reference to the case and took action.
Subsequently, Judge Tanya Chutkan, randomly assigned to the case and known for her stance against January 6 rioters, filed a motion ordering the Trump team to respond to Smith’s call for a protective order limiting the public sharing of case information.
As per Newsweek, Chutkan’s filing stated that Trump’s response to the government’s motion for a protective order was due by 5:00 PM on August 7, 2023. However, Trump’s lawyers requested an extension, pushing the due date to Thursday, August 10th, citing the need for adequate preparation.
In response to the controversial Truth Social post, where Trump seemed to target Jack Smith and other prosecutors, his campaign issued a statement, claiming that the threats were directed at different entities, particularly certain special interest groups and Super PACs. They labeled the post as political speech.
Regardless, Trump’s behavior has left many wondering about the effectiveness of his current legal team, as he has gone through numerous lawyers in the past. His future candidacy for president may also be impacted by the ongoing legal battles, raising the possibility of dealing with legal matters while running for office from prison.
