The Fulton County judge presiding over Donald Trump’s election interference case issued a protective order on Thursday that banned the release of certain evidence to the public.
This comes after ABC News reported on leaked video of revealing proffer sessions with Jenna Ellis and Sidney Powell, two former Trump lawyers who took plea deals in the same racketeering conspiracy case.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis then asked for Judge Scott McAfee to block further access to documents between law enforcement officials and defendants prior to trial, arguing that the leak was “clearly intended to intimidate witnesses in this case, subjecting them to harassment and threats before trial.” Willis’ office said they would stop sharing confidential video recordings with defense attorneys, instead making them view the evidence in person at the Fulton County Courthouse.
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McAfee agreed to Willis’ request on Thursday, writing, “Potential jurors should be limited from exposure to materials that may be deemed inadmissible at trial.”
“The Court has an interest in ensuring that all parties retain their right to a fair trial before an unbiased jury, a process that could become unattainable should the public be allowed to vet every piece of unfiltered evidence months before trial,” the order states.
Prosecutors can now label anything they believe should not be shared publicly as “sensitive materials.” Defendants will then have two weeks to challenge these decisions, and if an agreement cannot be reached, the judge overseeing the case would make the final call.
On Wednesday, an attorney representing a coalition of media outlets said that making a protective order requires the demonstration of a tangible threat to a witness, which they claimed had not been established.
The Georgia indictment accuses Trump and 18 co-defendants, including former personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and former chief of staff Mark Meadows, of a conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
