August 5th 2023.
Donald Trump arrived at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on August 3, and his presence was soon followed by a late-night court filing from US prosecutors. The prosecutors had flagged a threatening social media post from Trump which suggested he might try to intimidate witnesses by disclosing confidential evidence.
The post on Truth Social, a platform created by Trump Media & Technology Group, said: "IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I'M COMING AFTER YOU!" It was posted a day after Trump pleaded not guilty to charges that he orchestrated a criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.
Meanwhile in Georgia, security at the Fulton County courthouse in Atlanta was tightened in anticipation of a possible fourth criminal indictment for Trump this year. In response, prosecutors in Washington federal court sought a protective order barring Trump and his lawyers from sharing any discovery materials with unauthorised people.
Judge Tanya Chutkan gave Trump until 5pm on Monday to respond, but his lawyers asked for a three day extension until Thursday, August 10. Under the process of discovery, prosecutors must provide defendants with evidence against them, and prosecutors argued that Trump’s social media post could have a “harmful chilling effect on witnesses”.
At his arraignment on Thursday, Trump swore not to intimidate witnesses or communicate with them without legal counsel. A protective order was requested given Trump’s previous social media statements. A statement from a Trump spokesperson defended the post, saying it was the “definition of political speech” in response to “Rino, China-loving, dishonest special interest groups and super PAC’s.”
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