Election interference docs to be released
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Judge Tanya Chutkan on Thursday denied former President Donald Trump's request to delay until after the election the unsealing of court records and exhibits in the 2020 election interference case and said the court would release evidence submitted by the government on Friday.
In her five-page order, Chutkan said there was a presumption that there should be public access to "all facets of criminal court proceedings" and that Trump, in claiming the material should remain under seal, did not submit arguments relevant to any of the factors that would be considerations. Instead, Trump's lawyers argued that keeping it under seal for another month "will serve other interests," Chutkan wrote. "Ultimately, none of those arguments are persuasive.""
Trump's lawyers had said that Chutkan shouldn't allow the release of any additional information now, claiming in a filing that the "asymmetric release of charged allegations and related documents during early voting creates a concerning appearance of election interference."
Chutkan denied this would be an "asymmetric release," pointing out that the court was not "'limiting the public's access to only one side.'" She said Trump was free to submit his "legal arguments and factual proffers regarding immunity at any point before the November 7, 2024 deadline."
She also said it was Trump's argument that posed the danger of interfering with the election, rather than the court's actions.
"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," Chutkan wrote. "The court will therefore continue to keep political considerations out of its decision-making, rather than incorporating them as Defendant requests."
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-trump-2020-election-case-evidence-to-be-unsealed/
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Butter emails!
