Jack Smith, a former partner in a prestigious Washington law firm, asked the judge in a high-profile case brought by the House of Representatives against President Donald Trump to prevent him from making “partisan political attacks” during the trial.
In a filing in Washington federal district court, Smith asked Judge Emmet Sullivan to issue a ruling that would prevent the president from “uttering or in any manner expressing partisan political statements”during the trial, which is scheduled to begin February 8th.
Smith argued that allowing the president to make such statements would open the door to “manipulative rhetoric” that could be used to influence the court and compromise the trial’s impartiality. He further noted that Trump has previously used partisan language during courtroom proceedings, citing the president’s tweets during Mueller’s testimony last year deriding it as a “witch hunt.”
Smith’s motion did not provide a legal rationale for the judge to issue the order, but the filing requested that the court “take such other action it deems appropriate” to protect the trial’s integrity.
