Attorneys for former President Donald Trump asked a federal judge to consider holding Special Counsel Jack Smith in contempt for allegedly violating an order halting proceedings in his federal election subversion case.
Last month, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan temporarily halted proceedings in the case as Trump appealed her ruling shooting down his claims of presidential immunity.
On Thursday, Trump’s lawyers accused Smith and his team of violating Chutkan’s order by continuing to submit filings in the case.
“The Stay Order is clear, straightforward, and unambiguous. All substantive proceedings in this Court are halted. Despite this clarity, the prosecutors began violating the Stay almost immediately,” Trump’s lawyers wrote.
“The court cannot allow the prosecutors to continue to operate lawlessly, in defiance of well-established protocol and this court’s authority,” Trump’s lawyers added. “The Requested Sanctions are appropriate and likely to deter any further transgressions, and if not, the court retains the ability to impose more severe sanctions, including dismissal of this action.”
Even though proceedings in the case are very temporarily halted, it’s not clear that the order blocks prosecutors from producing discovery or filing new motions and Trump is not required to respond while the stay is in place, the Hill reported.
