The federal prosecutors overseeing the indictment of former President Donald Trump on charges of seeking to overturn the 2020 election asked a judge Friday night to impose a protective order over the discovery evidence in the case, citing a threatening message that Trump had posted on social media.
By mentioning the incendiary post in an otherwise routine request seeking to keep Trump from making evidence public, the prosecutors in the office of the special counsel, Jack Smith, were drawing the attention of the judge, Tanya Chutkan, to Trump’s long-standing habit of attacking those involved in criminal cases against him.
Hours later, Trump’s campaign responded with a statement calling the post "the definition of political speech.” The statement suggested that the post had not been directed at anyone involved in the election interference case, saying it was meant for Trump’s political adversaries.