A federal judge has prohibited former President Donald Trump from revealing classified information and evidence related to his case involving classified documents. US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, who had approved the search warrant for Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in August of last year, supported the Justice Department’s request to safeguard the evidence during the discovery process.
The judge ruled that Trump and his co-defendant, Walt Nauta, are not allowed to share or indirectly disclose the Discovery Materials or their contents with anyone except those directly involved in the defense, potential witnesses and their attorneys, and other individuals authorized by the Court.
“Defendants shall only have access to Discovery Materials under the direct supervision of Defense Counsel or a member of Defense Counsel’s staff. Defendants shall not retain copies of Discovery Material,” Reinhart stated.
The judge cautioned that disregarding the protective order could lead to consequences such as being held in contempt of court or facing civil or criminal penalties.
Last week, Trump was formally charged with 37 counts linked to his alleged mishandling of classified materials at his Palm Beach property, making him the first former president to face federal charges.
According to prosecutors, Trump is accused of repeatedly refusing to surrender the materials to the National Archives. These documents contained classified information pertaining to the United States’ defense systems and nuclear capabilities.
On Friday, Smith submitted a motion requesting a protective order, emphasizing the necessity of keeping the evidence confidential at this stage. Smith also asserted that the ongoing investigation into the documents could potentially result in additional arrests.
This is not the initial instance where such a motion has been filed against the former president. Last month, a similar order was filed in New York pertaining to a different case involving payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence.
Prosecutors in that case expressed concerns that Trump might share evidence from the case on his social media platforms, particularly on his Truth Social site, where the former president has frequently expressed his frustrations regarding his legal troubles.
