Judge Tanya Chutkan denied a motion from former President Donald Trump’s legal team to pause the release of special counsel Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 evidence.
The evidence will be released on Friday. Trump’s attorneys had asked Chutkan to delay the release for one month, until Nov. 14, so that they could have time to compile their own evidence to counter whatever Smith has in store.
“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 said.
The judge noted the court will not act with political motivations in mind.
“The court will therefore continue to keep political considerations out of its decision-making, rather than incorporating them as Defendant requests.”
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.