Trump Issues Midnight Statement as DOJ Seeks Protective Order Over Threat

Former President Donald Trump's team issued a brief statement at around midnight on Friday that sought to clarify an earlier social media post that appeared to threaten revenge on people who "go after me."

The statement came after the Department of Justice (DOJ) sought a protective order from the judge overseeing the case against Trump arising from Special Counsel Jack Smith's probe into attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

Trump pleaded not guilty on Thursday to four felony counts tied to attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election outcome and the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol that followed.

The former president has denied all wrongdoing and repeatedly criticized Smith's investigation.

On Friday, Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican Party's 2024 presidential nomination, took to his Truth Social site and posted: "IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I'M COMING AFTER YOU!"

Later on Friday, the DOJ asked U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan to issue a protective order that would limit the information Trump is allowed to share about the case.

The Truth Social post was included as part of the DOJ's submission to the court.

At 12.18 a.m, a statement attributed to a Trump spokesperson was posted by Team Trump on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter. Team Trump is the official Trump campaign account.

"The Truth post cited is the definition of political speech, and was in response to the RINO, China-loving, dishonest special interest groups and Super PACs, like the ones funded by the Koch brothers and the Club for No Growth," the statement said.

Newsweek has reached out to the Department of Justice via its website for comment.

Billionaire conservative Charles Koch's network of donors, Americans for Prosperity, and the influential Club for Growth have said they will not back Trump in 2024.

It remains to be seen if Judge Chutkan will grant the protective order, which falls short of a so-called gag order but would limit Trump's ability to share information about the ongoing case.

Prosecutors told the court they were ready to start sharing a "substantial" amount of evidence with Trump's legal team "much of which includes sensitive and confidential information."

"Such a restriction is particularly important in this case because the defendant has previously issued public statements on social media regarding witnesses, judges, attorneys, and others associated with legal matters pending against him," Smith wrote in the court filing.

"If the defendant were to begin issuing public posts using details—or, for example, grand jury transcripts—obtained in discovery here, it could have a harmful chilling effect on witnesses or adversely affect the fair administration of justice in this case," he wrote.

Speaking about Smith during a visit to Alabama on Friday, Trump said: "Doesn't he look deranged?"

"You've seen the pictures with the purple robe," Trump continued. "He's a deranged human being. This guy is a lost soul. Bad guy. He's a deranged sick person."