Trump Accuses Special Counsel of Violating Court Order, Seeks Contempt Charges

Former President Donald Trump has accused special counsel Jack Smith of violating a court order that paused proceedings in the case. Trump, through his re-election campaign, is seeking to hold Smith in contempt of court for allegedly defying the stay granted by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan.

The controversy revolves around the stay of proceedings that Judge Chutkan had imposed after Trump’s legal team appealed her decision to reject their request to dismiss the case. The appeal, centering on claims of presidential immunity and double jeopardy, is currently under consideration by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. However, Trump’s attorneys claim that Smith’s team continued making submissions despite the ongoing appeal, violating the stay order.

According to a 15-page filing by Trump’s legal team, prosecutors breached the stay almost immediately by serving thousands of pages of discovery and a “purported” draft exhibit list. The filing alleges that despite a warning from Trump regarding potential relief if such conduct persisted, prosecutors filed a motion containing “partisan rhetoric, including false claims.”

The filing further states, “In this manner, the prosecutors seek to weaponize the Stay to spread political propaganda, knowing that President Trump would not fully respond because the Court relieved him of the burdens of litigation during the Stay. Worse, the prosecutors have announced their intention to continue this partisan-driven misconduct indefinitely, effectively converting this Court’s docket into an arm of [President Joe Biden’s re-election] Campaign.”

Trump’s legal team is now requesting the federal court in Washington, D.C., to order prosecutors to show cause for why they should not be held in contempt. They also seek the withdrawal of their filings, a prohibition on future productions without express permission from the court, and monetary sanctions for attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred in the response.

As of now, Smith’s team has not issued an immediate reply to the filing, and they have declined to comment to the media. In the original stay order, Judge Chutkan emphasized the temporary pause on proceedings but clarified that deadlines and protective measures, such as the gag order against Trump, have not been permanently vacated.

In response to the recent developments, a spokesperson for Trump, Steven Cheung, stated, “Rather than respect the rule of law, Jack Smith unilaterally decided to disobey the stay order and continue with his harassing litigation, all done to keep parroting the pathetic Biden Campaign’s corrupt talking points in the name of election interference. As a result, President Trump is seeking to hold Deranged Jack in contempt of Court. No prosecutor is above the law.”

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

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