According to Gateway Pundit, former President Trump’s legal team has vehemently responded to what they perceive as an expedited and biased schedule set by Judge Tanya Chutkan in relation to a motion for a protective order, which some see as a thinly veiled attempt to impose a gag order on the former president. The motion was filed by federal prosecutor Jack Smith, who has been pursuing indictments against Trump.
The back-and-forth centers around a recent post made by Trump on the social media platform Truth Social. In the post, Trump proclaimed, “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!” Following this, Smith sought a protective order to prevent Trump from sharing information about the ongoing case with the public.
Judge Chutkan, who has been associated with the Obama administration and previously worked with Hunter Biden, set an expedited response timeline for Trump’s legal team, giving them only one day instead of the standard 14 days to respond to the motion.
Trump’s attorneys assert that this accelerated timeline is a form of abuse targeting the former president and Republicans, raising concerns about due process rights and First Amendment issues. They argue that the government’s request for a protective order restricts Trump’s free speech rights, especially during an election season where the allegations against him have been amplified by the administration and media allies.
Furthermore, Trump’s legal team contends that the government’s response to their brief was delayed until shortly before the deadline, which they view as a further injustice. They argue that the court’s decision to deviate from the standard rules for response time is inconsistent with due process and fundamental fairness.