The court in former President Donald Trump’s federal election interference prosecution ordered that further documents from special counsel Jack Smith’s probe against the former president be released only weeks before the 2024 election.
On Thursday night, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued an order making additional records available to the public.
The records are part of an exhibit addendum in the legal battle over whether Trump has presidential immunity that eliminates the allegations against him.
Chutkan’s order referenced Trump’s contention that the “asymmetric release of charged allegations and related documents during early voting creates a concerning appearance of election interference.”
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According to the judge, while it is in the public interest for courts to stay out of elections, “it is in fact Defendant’s requested relief that risks undermining that public interest.”
“If the court withheld information that the public otherwise had a right to access solely because of the potential political consequences of releasing it, that withholding could itself constitute — or appear to be — election interference,” she said.
She also stated that the court would continue to keep political concerns out of rulings, despite the defense’s plea.
“Any argument about ‘what needs to happen before or shouldn’t happen before the election is not relevant here,'” Chutkan wrote.
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