Written by Jasper Ward
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Prosecutors in the case of former US President Donald Trump’s secret documents asked a federal judge on Friday to bar him from making statements that pose a “danger” to law enforcement, according to a court document.
In a motion seeking to modify the terms of Trump's release, Special Counsel Jack Smith said the request was necessary because of “numerous false and inflammatory statements recently made by Trump that distort the circumstances under which the FBI planned and executed the search warrant.” At Mar-a-Lago.”
In the lawsuit filed before Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Eileen Cannon in Florida, Smith called the comments “deeply misleading” and said law enforcement agents who participated in the August 2022 search of Trump's properties did so in an “appropriate and professional manner.” “
Trump, the Republican challenger to Democratic President Joe Biden in the November 5 election, falsely claimed in fundraising letters sent by his campaign this week that the FBI was authorized to attempt an assassination.
“Trump’s repetition of these facts in widely circulated letters as an attempt to kill him, his family, and Secret Service agents has endangered the law enforcement officers involved in the investigation and prosecution of this case and threatened the integrity of these proceedings,” Smith wrote. Adding that restricting a similar statement in the future does not restrict legitimate speech.
The FBI searched Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort to recover classified materials he kept after leaving office. Agents found a large number of records that led to indictments on 40 counts of illegally retaining sensitive national security documents after leaving office.
It is one of four criminal trials Trump faces. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, saying the prosecutions are part of a politically motivated “witch hunt” to prevent him from returning to the White House.
Before the Mar-a-Lago search, the FBI drafted a policy statement, published this week, that allows law enforcement to use deadly force only if an officer or other person is under immediate threat. Trump was not present when the search took place.
Merrick Garland, who oversees the FBI as attorney general, said such policies are routine and were also in place during the consensual searches of Biden's homes conducted by the FBI in a separate investigation into classified documents.
