The judge in former President Donald Trump’s federal election interference case ordered more documents to be revealed from special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the former president just weeks before the 2024 election.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered on Thursday night that additional documents be made public.
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Former President Donald Trump, left, and special counsel Jack Smith. (Getty Images)
The documents pertain to the appendix of exhibits in the fight over whether Trump has a level of presidential immunity that negates the charges against him.
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Chutkan cited in the order Trump’s claim that the “asymmetric release of charged allegations and related documents during early voting creates a concerning appearance of election interference.”
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A court sketch depicts former President Donald Trump’s legal representation appearing before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. (William J. Hennessy Jr.)
According to the judge, while there is a public interest for courts to avoid involving themselves in elections, “it is in fact Defendant’s requested relief that risks undermining that public interest.”
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Former President Donald Trump’s team has criticized the release of documents before the election. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
“If the court withheld information that the public otherwise had a right to access solely because of the potential political consequences of releasing it, that withholding could itself constitute — or appear to be — election interference,” she argued.
She added that the court would continue keeping political considerations out of decisions, despite the defense’s request.
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Special counsel Jack Smith was appointed special counsel in the former President Donald Trump investigation. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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“Any argument about ‘what needs to happen before or shouldn’t happen before the election is not relevant here,'” Chutkan wrote.
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