As President Donald Trump battles against charges related to the 2020 election, Department of Justice (DOJ) Special Counsel Jack Smith seeks to reinstate a gag order to restrict the 45th President’s public statements. In doing so, Smith is overstepping his boundaries and striving to strip Trump of his First Amendment rights. This is a clear example of the politicized nature of the Biden administration’s DOJ.
Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan paused the gag order she had issued, which prohibited Trump from making public statements targeting Smith, his staff, court staff, and witnesses or the substance of their testimony. Following this pause, prosecutors, in a 32-page filing submitted Wednesday, asked Chutkan to maintain the order, claiming that Trump will “continue to threaten the integrity of these proceedings and put trial participants at risk” without court intervention.
Jack Smith Urges Judge To Maintain Trump Gag Order: ‘Significant And Immediate Risk’ https://t.co/zmsbGWtG1p via @DailyCaller
— Chris 🇺🇸 (@Chris_1791) October 26, 2023
As the 2024 GOP front-runner, Trump is within his First Amendment rights to make claims of innocence, allege that the prosecution is politically motivated, and criticize the DOJ and his most likely opponent in the next election, Joe Biden. Restricting his ability to communicate with the public is an infringement on his rights and an attempt to silence him.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has sided with Trump, filing an amicus brief with the court stating that the gag order is “unconstitutionally vague” and encompasses speech that could be relevant to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. This shows that there is a broad consensus that the gag order goes too far and is a threat to Trump’s rights.
Smith claims that Trump’s “targeting of a known witness” in his federal 2020 election interference case is why the gag order must be reinstated. However, this argument falls flat when we consider the politicized nature of the case.
Furthermore, it is essential to note that the gag order is not just an attack on Trump’s rights but also on the public’s right to know what the government is doing. The public has a right to hear Trump’s side of the story, and by seeking to silence him, Smith is seeking to control the narrative and prevent the public from making an informed decision.
The attempt by Special Counsel Jack Smith to reinstate the gag order against President Donald Trump is a clear overreach and an infringement on Trump’s First Amendment rights. It is yet another example of the politicized nature of the Biden administration’s DOJ and an attempt to silence a political opponent.
