Lawyers say DOJ wants to ‘censor’ Trump

Former President Trump and his lawyers on Monday accused the Justice Department of proposing to “censor” his rights to be able to publicly disclose evidence, including witness information, in the government’s case against him in its 2020 election conspiracy case. 

Trump wants modifications, but he’s also exploiting his supporters’ belief that President Biden’s Justice Department is targeting the former president for political gain.  

Bottom line: The back-and-forth that has begun with procedural legal exchanges early in the government’s case foreshadows a never-give-an-inch political throwdown ahead. The thicket of Trump’s legal woes in at least two states and the nation’s capital ensures that few Americans are likely to closely track the details of legal filings — but voters are forming opinions well ahead of a trial. 

Trump’s allies in the media immediately referred to the Justice Department’s efforts to secure a protective order as an attempt to “gag” the former president, asserting that any restrictions could violate Trump’s First Amendment rights. Some backers predicted the former president, known for speaking first and worrying about the consequences later, might ignore restrictions imposed by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington, D.C.