Earlier this month, attorneys for Trump asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to hold Smith in contempt for filing motions ahead of deadlines.
The judge overseeing the federal election interference case against former President Donald Trump has rejected his request to hold special counsel Jack Smith and his office in contempt.
Earlier this month, attorneys for Trump asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to hold Smith in contempt for filing motions while the case is stayed pending Trump’s appeal on presidential immunity grounds.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
WASHINGTON — The judge overseeing the federal election interference case against former President Donald Trump has rejected his request to hold special counsel Jack Smith and his office in contempt.
“This measure is an addition to the Stay Order, aimed to further advance its purposes, and does not reflect a determination that the Government has violated any of its clear and unambiguous terms or acted in bad faith,” she wrote.
Chutkan noted in her order that Smith’s office was factually correct: Her motion did not forbid the special counsel from continuing to meet deadlines.
The motion earlier this month came from Trump lawyer John Lauro who argued that Smith should be held in contempt for an “unlawful” production of discovery and said that federal prosecutors are engaging in “partisan-driven misconduct.”
Trump is waiting for a ruling by a federal appeals court in a case in which he argues that he’s immune from being prosecuted over his election interference efforts because he was president at the time.
She then quoted a prior statement she made in which she said seven months would be “sufficient time” to prepare for trial, suggesting that an additional few weeks could be added since the case has been paused since December.
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