- The Jan. 6 case judge warned Trump against intimidating witnesses or influencing jurors.
- Judge Chutkan said "even arguably ambiguous statements" could "threaten the process."
Former President Donald Trump was warned by a federal judge against making public statements on the January 6 insurrection case that could intimidate witnesses or influence potential jurors.
US District Judge Tanya Chutkan told Trump's defense team during a hearing on Friday that "even arguably ambiguous statements by the parties or their counsel if they could be reasonably interpreted to intimidate witnesses or to prejudice potential jurors can threaten the process."
Trump's lawyers, Chutkan and prosecutors discussed a possible protective order that special counsel Jack Smith's team is seeking for the January 6 case. Prosecutors wanted to bar Trump from speaking about sensitive topics in the case, a request Chutkan agreed with.
The January 6 case is the Justice Department's latest indictment against the former president and includes four charges related to the deadly Capitol riot and Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Chutkan, who has a history of throwing the book at Jan. 6 rioters, also said she intends to "ensure the orderly administration of justice in this case as I would with any other case," noting that "the more a party makes inflammatory statements about this case which could taint the jury pool," then "the greater the urgency will be that we proceed to trial quickly."
Chutkan's warnings shouldn't come as a surprise.
Trump has a history of making inflammatory comments and social media posts about his legal troubles. He's trashed prosecutors, Smith, and Chutkan herself in online posts and declared the ongoing criminal cases against him are part of a political "witch hunt."