Trump Poses 'Danger' to Witnesses, Threat Must Be Neutralized: Kirschner

Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner said Friday that Donald Trump is a "danger" to witnesses because of his "cult" following, adding that the threat the former president potentially possesses should be neutralized before he goes to trial.

Last month, Trump was indicted, arrested, and then released on a $200,000 bond over allegations he broke the law attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election result in Georgia. Along with his 18 other co-defendants, Trump was charged with violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, among other charges. The former president has strongly denied any wrongdoing in the case, claiming the allegations against him are a "witch hunt" and "election interference."

He has also pleaded not guilty to a series of charges in other indictments related to claims he orchestrated the payment of hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, mishandled classified documents after leaving the White House and illegally tried to block Joe Biden's 2020 election victory on a nationwide basis that led to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. No previous U.S. president has ever been charged with a criminal offense.

While speaking to SiriusXM radio host Dean Obeidallah on Friday, Kirschner was asked if Trump is more of a threat to witnesses than other organized crime or RICO cases he has tried.

"I have an even graver concern for Donald Trump because his reach is so broad, his followers are so rabid at times and so detached from reality. I'm sorry, this is a cult. And so, yes, I am concerned that the judges have not yet stepped up to address the danger, the ongoing danger, the demonstrated danger of Donald Trump to witnesses, to jurors, to prosecutors, to judges and to their families," Kirschner, a former U.S. attorney and frequent Trump critic, said.

He continued: "I hope at some point the judges realize that Donald Trump is a danger to the community, and he should be detained pending trial because that will begin to neutralize the threat, in part because you'll take his megaphone away. I think we're going to be having that conversation in the months to come."

Newsweek has reached out to Trump's campaign via email for comment.

Meanwhile, Kirschner also said on Saturday in a video posted to X, formerly Twitter, that it is important for cameras to be in the courtroom with Trump because if they aren't, "the defense attorneys for Donald Trump and the others would step to the cameras at the end of every trial day and they would continue to spew their disinformation, their propaganda, and their outright lies."

"While the prosecutors would leave the courtroom every day, and they would say exactly nothing. You know, it is particularly important for the American voters, the victims of Donald Trump's crimes, to be able to see the evidence with our own eyes. Transparency is what we need, so bring in the cameras," he said.

Newsweek has also reached out to multiple legal analysts via email and social media for comment.