CNN
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A US District Judge, Tanya Chutkan, has temporarily lifted the gag order she imposed on Donald Trump in his federal 2020 election subversion criminal case, freezing it for now.
Judge Chutkan rationalized her decision by stating that she granted the administrative stay of the initial gag order to provide sufficient time for the parties involved to present their arguments regarding Trump’s appeal.
Furthermore, Judge Chutkan demanded that the Justice Department respond to Trump’s request for an extended pause on the gag order by Wednesday, with Trump having until the following Saturday to submit a reply.
Trump has already filed an appeal against the gag order to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. In a 33-page filing, his attorneys emphasized the importance of pausing the order during the appeal process.
This temporary freeze on the gag order coincides with Judge Chutkan’s recent proceedings, where Trump’s attorneys and federal prosecutors clashed over Trump’s ability to discuss his prosecution on the campaign trail.
During the hearing, Judge Chutkan made it clear that she was not interested in hearing any campaign rhetoric in her court, stating that Trump’s message could be conveyed without resorting to such rhetoric.
The initial gag order prevented Trump from making specific types of statements about the special counsel’s team, witnesses, and court personnel. However, it did not restrict his ability to make negative comments about Washington, DC, or the Justice Department at large.
Additionally, Judge Chutkan explicitly stated that Trump can express his belief that he is being unfairly prosecuted in the case.
On a separate note, Trump was fined $5,000 by a New York judge overseeing his civil fraud trial for violating a gag order that prohibited him from discussing court staff members.
This order was issued by Judge Arthur Engoron after Trump made comments about the judge’s clerk on his social media platform, Truth Social.
This story has been updated with additional information.
