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Donald Trump in Washington

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JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS

Before the trial of former US President Donald Trump for election conspiracy, special investigator Jack Smith has asked the competent court to give the Republican a ban on speaking in advance regarding the proceedings. The special investigator appointed by the Department of Justice justified his application to the Federal Court with the fact that Trump was endangering the trial planned for March with incendiary rhetoric. The ex-president reacted combatively.

Trump's verbal attacks against Justice Department staff, the Washington public and Justice Tanya Chutkan have already led to threats from his supporters against prosecutors, the court and potential jurors, Smith said. The ex-president's rhetoric could have "tangible effects on the impartiality of the jury pool" from which the jury is selected for his trial. Witnesses were also in danger of being influenced by Trump's violent statements.

Anyone who has heard or read Trump's comments on the trial "may reasonably fear that they will be the next targets of the accused's attacks," Smith said. Judge Chutkan must therefore instruct the Republican to refrain from denigrating, inciting and intimidating statements about all those who are actually or potentially involved in the process. The judge did not initially comment on the request.

Trump reacts combatively

Smith listed some of Trump's public statements in his motion. The ex-president had done this after he was indicted by the federal judiciary at the beginning of August for his attempts to subsequently overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election and thus hold on to power.

"If you persecute me, I will persecute you!" was one of his statements on online networks. In addition, according to Smith's explanations, Trump described the judge in charge Chutkan as a "fraud" and Smith's staff as a "team of gangsters". The U.S. capital Washington denigrated Trump as "dirty and determined by crime," and its population was "more than 95 percent anti-Trump."

On Smith's demand to muzzle him, Trump reacted combatively. In his online network Truth Social, he wrote about US President Joe Biden that he was an "incompetent person" and was using the Department of Justice and the FBI "as a weapon" against him in view of the presidential election in November next year. They leak out, lie and accuse, and they don't want to allow me to speak?"

The trial against Trump is about the attempt by his supporters to storm the congressional session on January 6, 2021, where the victory of Democrat Biden in the 2020 presidential election was to be certified. Trump pleads not guilty and has called on Chutkan to hand over the case for bias.

At the end of August, the judge set March 4 as the opening date for the trial in Washington. It thus begins one day before the so-called "Super Tuesday". On this day, presidential primaries are held in more than a dozen states. Trump wants to run for president again.

In mid-August, a woman was arrested in the US state of Texas for death threats against Judge Chutkan.

cop/AFP