Trump Files Motion to Block Smith Filing from Being Made Public

Donald Trump is throwing a Hail Mary to a judge who despises him.

Last week, Special Counsel Jack Smith filed his outline of the evidence that he will present in the case.

It will now be up to Judge Chutkan to decide what the public sees, which is what Trump is challenging.

Block It

Trump does not want this file being made public, especially before the election.

I have maintained that I believe Chutkan will likely release a somewhat redacted version of the filling, protecting the witnesses, before the election. I have called this Trump's October surprise, and it is the last obstacle he has to overcome before heading into the election.

She does not like Trump, and she has never hidden that fact, even though she has never mentioned him by name in her rants on the bench.

This filing by Trump could put that in jeopardy, but that all depends on Chutkan.

Trump’s attorneys filed a motion this week to block the filing from being made public, arguing, “The true motivation driving the efforts by the Special Counsel’s Office to disseminate witness statements that they previously sought to lock down is as obvious as it is inappropriate.

“The Office wants their politically motivated manifesto to be public, contrary to the Justice Manual and longstanding [Justice Department] norms in cases not involving President Trump, in the final weeks of the 2024 Presidential election while early voting has already begun throughout the United States.”

It continued, “Now that public disclosure serves their politically motivated mission, the Special Counsel’s Office takes a different view.

“The Office believes President Trump’s Constitutional rights to impartial jurors and fair proceedings — to say nothing of witness privacy and even safety — all take a back seat to the Office’s political goals.”

I think there is little chance that Chutkan allows the motion, and an ever greater chance that she releases the information before Trump can file his appeal.

If she goes that route, it will again show the bias on the bench against Trump, but the damage will have been done.

The good news for Trump is if Chutkan does do that, it is early enough that he can still recover before the election.