Former President Donald Trump — and his co-defendant, aide Walt Nauta — have been placed under a court order in the recently unveiled criminal case alleging the harboring of sensitive government information and obstruction.
The order blocks the unilateral distribution of information that circulates during the discovery process beyond those procedural confines. In other words, the evidence that prosecutors make available as part of routine pre-trial preparations is formally restricted from public statements Trump or Nauta might make on social media or to journalists, alongside other contexts. The terms of the arrangement, which comes with a possibility of criminal consequence after any violation, substantially mirror an order that Trump was placed under in his Manhattan criminal case that deals with the alleged falsification of business records connected to the hush money given to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
With Trump, these sorts of formal restrictions on using evidence in public statements without prior approval could be particularly relevant, considering his history of commenting on court matters he’s facing.
The very basis for the criminal case against him dealing with these documents also exemplifies his generally haphazard approach to protecting information, considering most of the criminal allegations he is facing are alleged felony counts of willfully retaining those protected docs. Materials from Trump’s time in office evidently were haphazardly strewn around his southern Florida resort Mar-a-Lago, with photos having circulated of boxes even stacked in a bathroom. He was also suspected of showing some of the materials to others — and was caught on tape seemingly admitting in plain terms that he’d never taken sweeping declassification action while POTUS.
A trial date has already been established for the classified documents case, though there is time for plans to shift. Trump will also be facing several other trials, including proceedings in October dealing with accusations from the New York state attorney general of misconduct at his business and a January trial that will cover further allegations of defamation from the writer E. Jean Carroll, who has brought court challenges after Trump’s antagonistic responses to her statements he sexually assaulted her.
