The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s federal election interference case, in an order late Thursday, denied the former president’s last-minute request to block the release of additional evidence gathered by special counsel Jack Smith.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan said that the court will unseal, on Friday, the redacted appendix from the immunity motion filed earlier this month by Smith that included new details about Trump and his allies’ actions leading up to the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol.

In ruling that the evidence would be publicly released, Chutkan pushed back on Trump’s argument that the release was politically motivated to influence the 2024 presidential election.

  • Admax@lemmy.world
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    18 days ago

    Can anyone explain to me what makes this trial “special”?

    As in: In what kind of trial do you have to UNSEAL evidences ?

    Should they not all be brought up to the court as soon as they are available to have a fair trial ? Why is the defendant even able to ask for the evidence to not be used ? I’m struggeling to make sens of this…

    • IamSparticles@lemmy.zip
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      18 days ago

      An accused can request that evidence against them be sealed for lots of reasons. Usually because it might prejudice public opinion before guilt has been established in court. In this case, Trump’s attorneys argued that releasing the information to the public could interfere with the election. The judge’s response was that not releasing it simply because it might affect the election would itself represent interference by the court.

      • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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        18 days ago

        The judge’s response was that not releasing it simply because it might affect the election would itself represent interference by the court.

        Delaying/hiding important information interfering with an election? Who would have thought! Oh wait wasn’t he also convicted in civil court for… paying to hide information and trying to cover it up?

        Clearly he knows the importance of information and how it can interfere with an election including not releases it.

      • Admax@lemmy.world
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        18 days ago

        Thank you for your explanation !

        It feels a bit silly to have evidences kept away when they could speed up the process, or even change the very outcome of it…

        Also glad that the judge is not a morron can see how it would be important for the elections.