According to a court filing, a U.S. judge in Florida on Monday ordered defence counsel for former President Donald Trump not to divulge evidence in the classified materials case to the media or the public.
The order, issued by U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, also imposed stringent restrictions on Trump’s access to the information.
“The Discovery materials, as well as any information derived therefrom, shall not be disclosed to the public or the news media, or disseminated on any news or social media platform, without prior notice to and consent of the United States, or approval of the Court,” according to the order filed on Monday.
It also specified that Trump “shall not retain copies” and that he may only review case materials “under the direct supervision of Defense Counsel or a member of Defense Counsel’s staff.”
The order granted a motion filed last week by prosecutors who had asked the court to put conditions on how the defense stores and uses the documents.
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Trump, who is the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, was indicted on federal charges earlier this month. He was accused of illegally retaining classified government documents after leaving the White House and then conspiring to obstruct a federal probe of the matter.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all 37 counts in court.
The former president faces other legal hurdles, having been indicted by New York prosecutors in connection with an alleged hush-money payment to a porn star.
Special Counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, is also probing Trump’s alleged role in actions surrounding his loss in the 2020 presidential election that culminated in Trump supporters’ deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
