Two dozen attorneys general filed a motion that opposes special counsel Jack Smith’s request for a gag order in former President Donald Trump’s classified records case.
In a court motion submitted on June 16, 24 Republican attorneys general said that former President Trump’s “colorful rhetoric” is protected under the Constitution’s First Amendment. Mr. Smith’s team had argued that the former president’s allegations in May about FBI agents who carried out a search of his Mar-a-Lago residence in August 2022 would incite threats or harassment against law enforcement officials.
While a prior gag order request from the special counsel’s team was rejected by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on procedural grounds, prosecutors submitted a new request days later. The former president’s attorneys over the recent weekend filed a motion arguing that the latest request should be dismissed, too, on the grounds that it would violate his constitutional rights….