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Jack Smith Wants Donald Trump’s D.C. Gag Order Reinstated for Good

In new court filings, the special counsel argues that the former president should be handed heavier penalties if he breaks the rules, including jail time.

Special counsel Jack Smith on Wednesday night fought back against Donald Trump’s motion to stay a limited gag order issued by Judge Tanya Chutkan last week in the D.C. 2020 election obstruction case. In new filings, hours after Trump’s recent comments in his New York civil fraud case saw him fined $10,000, Smith insisted to Chutkan that the gag order was necessary. The order was temporarily suspended last week after Trump lawyer John Lauro argued in a filing that it was “breathtakingly overbroad.” In Smith’s Wednesday night filing, the special counsel argued not only for the gag order to be reimposed but for higher penalties to be handed out, including jail time, should Trump disobey the rules and continue to talk publicly and online about witnesses. Smith noted Trump’s comments on former chief of staff Mark Meadows, who is expected to be a witness at the trial. According to The Washington Post, the motion was one of four filed by the special counsel’s office as legal teams prepare for the March 2024 trial. Trump maintains his innocence.