On Tuesday, Jack Smith, the Department of Justice’s special counsel, warned that the “daily” remarks made by former President Donald Trump could risk taunting the jury for the criminal case in Washington. The case relates to Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results and his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.
Trump has repeatedly made provocative remarks and has targeted not only Smith, who led the investigation in this case, but also Tanya Chutkan, the U.S. District Judge who has been assigned to oversee this case. Prosecutors have repeatedly stated that they are concerned about the effect that Trump’s social media posts might end up having, while Chutkan has warned him not to make any inflammatory remarks that could contaminate the jury or be considered witness intimidation.
Earlier on that same day Trump had shared a story from the New York Post which covered Chutkan and ridiculed the idea that she could potentially lead a fair trial. In a different post on Truth Social, Trump stated once that Smith was “deranged” and that he had “unchecked and insane aggression.”
The complaint by Smith on Tuesday further showcases how Trump’s frequent attacks on Truth Social may be pushing the patience that prosecutors have and could potentially risk Trump being exposed to sanctions from the judge.
Last week, Chutkan set the trial date for Trump’s case as March 4, 2024. This is not the only case in which Trump has received warnings about not intimidating any of the case witnesses, or his co-defendants in the case.
