Donald Trump is not allowed to speak to witnesses in the latest indictment against him, in which he is suspected of trying to manipulate the results of the 2020 election. But many possible witnesses belong to the former president’s inner circle and are involved in his 2024 re-election campaign.
The same rules apply to Donald Trump as to all other defendants in a hearing in a federal court in the United States: It is not allowed to discuss the case with witnesses without a lawyer present.
But when the case involves Donald Trump and his lies about the 2020 election, this can be difficult to live up to, says Laurie Levenson, professor of law at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
“The standard formulations may not work in this situation, when there are thousands of Americans who may be witnesses and he continues to have daily contact with people who may be involved,” says Laurie Levenson.
Talks about prosecution
The latest indictment against Trump revolves around his alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election results by spreading false information that he lost due to voter fraud. He repeats these claims regularly in speeches he gives in his campaign for the presidential election in 2024. There he also often talks about the charges he is facing and paints a picture that he is the victim of a political witch hunt.
Trump’s lawsuits are an important part of his election campaign, according to Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Trump’s campaign.
– From our point of view, it is a message that works, Cheung told AP.
That the election campaign is closely intertwined with the legal processes was also felt when Trump traveled to Washington DC on Thursday to appear in court for the first time regarding the latest indictment. In his traveling party was Jason Miller, an adviser to Trump who appeared extensively in the congressional hearings surrounding the storming of Congress on January 6, 2021. Also on the trip was Boris Epshteyn, another adviser who was part of the attempts to invalidate Joe Biden’s election victory. Both are seen as possible witnesses in the new indictment against Trump.
Judge warned Trump
In the congressional hearings on the storming of Congress on January 6, 2021, over 1,000 people were interviewed, including Trump’s closest advisers and relatives, such as his daughter Ivanka and son Donald Trump Jr.
When Trump appeared in court in Washington DC on Thursday, denying all criminal charges, he promised not to talk about the case with any witnesses without lawyers present. Judge Moxila Upadhyaya warned him that an arrest warrant could be the result if he does not abide by the rules.
The list of witnesses is expected to come closer to the time of the trial, which has not yet been determined.