Donald Trump Restricted From Info in His Criminal Case

U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered a series of restrictions for former President Donald Trump's legal team to follow when handling discovery materials from the Department of Justice (DOJ) in his criminal case.

Trump, who was indicted earlier this month and arraigned last Tuesday, is facing 37 counts ranging from willful retention of classified documents to obstruction in connection with the DOJ's investigation into his handling of classified documents after leaving office. He is the first former president to face federal charges in United States history.

The indictment, which was brought by DOJ special counsel Jack Smith, accuses Trump of mishandling sensitive presidential records and obstructing government efforts to retrieve them. Trump has maintained his innocence, accusing federal prosecutors of investigating him for political reasons.

On Monday, Reinhart—the same judge who approved a warrant for the FBI raid on Trump's Mar-a-Lago property in August that led to the indictment—issued a series of rulings that restricted Trump from viewing discovery material documents without supervision from his counsel.

The order permits Trump to take notes of the materials, but the notes must be "stored securely" by his legal team.

It also restricts Trump from retaining any discovery material documents and forbade Trump from posting information related to the discovery material on social media platforms such as Truth Social.

"The Discovery Materials, along with any information derived therefrom, shall not be disclosed to the public or the news media, or disseminated on any news or social media platform, without prior notice to and consent of the United States or approval of the Court," the order said.

Newsweek reached out to Trump's legal team via email for comment.

Trump, who often posts about the indictment on Truth Social, was relatively quiet regarding his legal woes on Monday morning. Instead, he focused his energy on sharing polls that showed him as the front-runner in the 2024 presidential election.

Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told Newsweek that the standard order was expected.

"The evidence in the case consists of classified materials, and Trump has a history of posting details about his cases on social media. Potential jurors shouldn't be seeing any evidence unless it is admitted at trial," Rahmani said.

If Trump violates the order, Rahmani said he could be sanctioned or held in contempt of the court.

It isn't the first time a judge has restricted Trump's ability to share sensitive case details on social media. In May, a judge forbade Trump from commenting on the case about alleged hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.

In that case, Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records. He continues to deny any wrongdoing.

Monday's order also will apply to Trump's other social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, where previous bans blocking the former president from the apps have been lifted.

Trump could be considering a return to Twitter, though. The New York Times reported that he plans to not re-sign an exclusivity deal with Truth Social when it expires at the end of June.