‘WEAPON OF INTIMIDATION’

Special Counsel Jack Smith Demands Jury Safeguards Following Trump’s NY Gag Order

Smith argued that Trump had continually weaponized social media during other court proceedings.

After Donald Trump’s combative posts on Truth Social during his New York fraud trial, U.S. Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith has requested safeguards for jurors in the lead-up to the former president’s trial in federal court in D.C. related to alleged election interference. Last week, Trump disparaged Judge Arthur Engoron’s chief clerk, Allison Greenfield, sharing a photo of her posing with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and calling it “palling around.” Smith gave his rationale behind the request for protections, saying “chief among them is the defendant’s continued use of social media as a weapon of intimidation in court proceedings.” He asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to administer a questionnaire that would excuse possible jurors without requiring them to appear in court and provide “reasonable boundaries” that would prevent the public identification of potential and chosen jurors. Chutkan will hold a hearing on Smith’s request for a broader gag order on October 16.