After Judge Admonishes Trump For His ‘Inflammatory’ Comments, Ex President Continues To Defy Order

On Friday, District Judge Tanya Chutkan warned former President Donald Trump and his lawyer against his “inflammatory” public statements that could lead her to take drastic action against him by opting for a speedier trial on criminal charges regarding his attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

The hearing was held to help Special Counsel Jack Smith and his team of prosecutors and Trump’s lawyers reach a common ground regarding the disputes in the case, following Smith’s appeal for a protective order.

Smith’s team is prepared to share all its evidence with Trump’s team as part of the regular trial process.

The former president has been using his social media platform Truth Social to post inflammatory comments, which have not been well-received by Judge Chutkan.

The judge said she will treat Trump like every other criminal defendant, admonishing him for making public statements that can often be seen as threats or harassment toward witnesses.

Chutkan told Trump attorney John Lauro, “I caution you and your client to take special care in your public statements about this case. I will take whatever measures are necessary to safeguard the integrity of these proceedings.”

She has advised the lawyer to ask Trump to “yield to the orderly administration of justice” and obey the rules. While he has the First Amendment right to free speech like every other American, she said that his “free speech is subject to the release conditions imposed at arraignment and it must yield to the orderly administration of justice.”

“Even arguably ambiguous statements from parties or their counsel, if they can be reasonably interpreted to intimidate witnesses or to prejudice potential jurors, can threaten the process,” Chutkan said.

“The more a party makes inflammatory statements about this case which could taint the jury pool … the greater the urgency will be that we proceed to trial quickly,” she said.

Last week, the former president called for the recusal of Judge Chutkan, accusing her of being biased against him.