A federal judge has ordered that former president Trump cannot reveal any of the classified information or evidence discussed in his case.
After prosecutors working for special counsel Jack Smith filed a motion to keep the evidence in the case secure during the discovery process, US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, who approved the search warrant for the 77-year-old's Mar-a-Lago resort last August, sided with the Justice Department on Monday.
The judge ruled that Trump and his co-defendant Walt Nauta cannot "disclose the Discovery Materials or the contents thereof directly or indirectly to any person or entity other than persons employed to assist in the defence, persons interviewed as potential witnesses, counsel for potential witnesses, and other persons to whom the Court may authorize disclosure."
Defence Counsel or a member of the Defence Counsel's staff must be present at all times when a Defendant reviews Discovery Materials. The Defendants shall not keep any copies of the Discovery Materials," Reinhart continued.
In his order, the judge stated that violators "may be subject to contempt of court or other civil or criminal sanctions."
On 37 counts relating to his alleged mishandling of classified materials at his Palm Beach estate, Trump was arraigned last week, making him the first former president to face federal charges.
The documents allegedly included classified information on America's defences and nuclear capabilities, and prosecutors claim Trump repeatedly refused to hand them over to the National Archives.
Smith filed the motion for a protective order on Friday, telling the court that the evidence needed to stay out of the public eye for the time being and claiming that the ongoing investigation into the documents could lead to more arrests.
There is "information pertaining to ongoing investigations, the disclosure of which could compromise those investigations and identify uncharged individuals," the Justice Department wrote.
The former president has been the target of similar legal action before. In a separate case involving hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, a similar order was filed in New York last month.
Since Trump has frequently complained about his legal troubles on his Truth Social site, the prosecutors in that case expressed concern that the former president would post evidence from the case to social media.
After prosecutors working for special counsel Jack Smith filed a motion to keep the evidence in the case secure during the discovery process, US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, who approved the search warrant for the 77-year-old's Mar-a-Lago resort last August, sided with the Justice Department on Monday.
The judge ruled that Trump and his co-defendant Walt Nauta cannot "disclose the Discovery Materials or the contents thereof directly or indirectly to any person or entity other than persons employed to assist in the defence, persons interviewed as potential witnesses, counsel for potential witnesses, and other persons to whom the Court may authorize disclosure."
Defence Counsel or a member of the Defence Counsel's staff must be present at all times when a Defendant reviews Discovery Materials. The Defendants shall not keep any copies of the Discovery Materials," Reinhart continued.
In his order, the judge stated that violators "may be subject to contempt of court or other civil or criminal sanctions."
On 37 counts relating to his alleged mishandling of classified materials at his Palm Beach estate, Trump was arraigned last week, making him the first former president to face federal charges.
The documents allegedly included classified information on America's defences and nuclear capabilities, and prosecutors claim Trump repeatedly refused to hand them over to the National Archives.
Smith filed the motion for a protective order on Friday, telling the court that the evidence needed to stay out of the public eye for the time being and claiming that the ongoing investigation into the documents could lead to more arrests.
There is "information pertaining to ongoing investigations, the disclosure of which could compromise those investigations and identify uncharged individuals," the Justice Department wrote.
The former president has been the target of similar legal action before. In a separate case involving hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, a similar order was filed in New York last month.
Since Trump has frequently complained about his legal troubles on his Truth Social site, the prosecutors in that case expressed concern that the former president would post evidence from the case to social media.
