Trump argues against limits to evidence in 2020 election case

Former President Donald Trump’s legal team on Monday said a protective order requested by prosecutors would violate his free speech rights. The Department of Justice on Friday asked the court to limit how evidence is handled in its case against Trump for allegedly trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Trump has denied any wrongdoing. Trump’s legal team called the DOJ’s proposed protective order too broad, urging the judge to restrict only “genuinely sensitive” material.

What is a protective order and why does the Justice Department want one? The Justice Department’s protective order would prevent Trump from disclosing any information about the 2020 election case to anyone other than the individuals on his legal team. The Justice Department on Friday had requested the protective order in response to a social media post in which the former president said, “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!” A Trump spokesman on Saturday said the post wasn’t made in reference to the trial.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s report in The Stew about the charges filed against Trump pertaining to the 2020 election.