Charlie Neibergall
WASHINGTON (AP) — A gag order in Donald Trump's election interference case in Washington is back in place, restricting the former president's inflammatory rhetoric as he prepares for trial and campaigns to return to the White House in 2024.
Trump's lawyers are vowing to fight the order in higher courts, setting up a legal battle over what restrictions can be placed on the speech of a defendant who is also running for America's highest public office.
Here's a look at what's allowed and what's not under the gag order and what's expected next:
WHAT DOES THE GAG ORDER PROHIBIT?
The order from U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan bars Trump and anyone else involved in the case from making public statements targeting prosecutors, court staff or “any reasonably foreseeable witness.” The order does not name potential witnesses who are off-limits, but many of them are obvious, as it was publicly reported they testified before the grand jury that investigated the case.
For example, a recent post about Trump's former chief of staff Mark Meadows, a likely witness, “would almost certainly violate the Order under any reasonable definition of ‘targeting,’” the judge wrote. That post was in response to an ABC story that said Trump's chief of staff was given immunity in the case and testified before a grand jury. Trump suggested that those who give statements to prosecutors are “weaklings and cowards,” adding, "I don’t think that Mark Meadows is one of them but who really...
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