Special counsel asks D.C. judge to bar Trump misinformation at trial
Special counsel Jack Smith has submitted a motion in the D.C. federal obstruction case, requesting U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan to prevent Donald Trump’s legal team from introducing what prosecutors deem “irrelevant disinformation” during the upcoming trial.
The motion, known as a motion in limine, is a standard pre-trial procedure seeking to exclude defense arguments considered irrelevant or unsupported by evidence.
Prosecutors specifically aim to bar Trump from asserting claims such as President Biden coordinating with the Justice Department to bring charges against him or blaming law enforcement’s alleged lack of preparation for the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
The filing emphasizes the potential misleading impact on jurors and urges the court to reject any attempt to inject politics into the proceedings.
Similar motions have been filed in other Capitol attack trials, with judges generally granting such requests unless defendants provide firsthand accounts contradicting them.
Former federal prosecutor David Aaron notes that the outcome of these motions is a routine part of the criminal proceedings and may not necessarily reflect the arguments presented to the jury during the trial.
