Special counsel Jack Smith highlighted in a legal document on Tuesday that the ex-President Donald Trump’s regular public remarks could potentially influence potential jurors in the 2020 election manipulation case.
The claim surfaced during a legal dispute, the majority of which is confidential, so more specifics aren’t available to the public. Mention of Trump’s comments possibly impacting potential jurors at the Washington, DC courthouse was made in a public federal case document.
There has been ongoing disagreement between Smith’s office and Trump’s representatives regarding how much information from the concealed debate should be disclosed.
On Tuesday, the prosecution sought to submit legal papers, some of which would be kept confidential and some would be publicly accessible.
However, Trump’s representatives countered, suggesting that these documents should not be made publicly available on the court’s records until they have two weeks to provide a response, as per the standard court procedure.
Countering this, Smith’s group responded in the public document: “Delaying the process in such a manner would seriously slow down the proceedings, especially considering urgent issues at hand, including the defendant’s consistent public remarks that could potentially bias the potential jurors, as detailed in the Government’s request.”
US District Judge Tanya Chutkan instructed both parties to provide further legal arguments on the procedure and criteria for making the Smith document available on the court records. The deadline for Trump’s response is September 11, followed by a prosecutor’s response due on September 13.
Judge Chutkan added that either side can submit their arguments confidentially.
