A trial judge has granted special prosecutor Jack Smith's request to prohibit former President Donald Trump and his codefendant, Walt Nauta, from disclosing the information provided to the defense in the criminal case they now face from the special prosecutor.

Among the restrictions approved by US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, who previously approved the search warrant executed by the FBI, is that "the discovery materials, along with any information derived from them, shall not be disclosed to the public," nor to the media, and shall not be disseminated on any news platform or social media without prior notice or consent from the United States or approval from the Court."


The order requested by the prosecutors and approved by Reinhart was expected and used standard language. However, this is a federal criminal case, the first of its kind, against a former president who tends to express opinions on social media and is being prosecuted, in part, for alleged mishandling of confidential government information.

The order follows the language proposed by Smith and governs the unclassified discovery to be provided to the defense. The defendants did not oppose Smith's request.

The classified materials that federal investigators have gathered, which are at the core of Smith's case, will be subject to their own procedures for the case. Trump's two lawyers in the case confirmed to federal district judge Aileen Cannon, who will preside over the case, that they have been in contact with the Department of Justice to expedite security clearances.

Trump faces 37 charges in the indictment filed by Smith earlier this month, which alleges that the former president unlawfully retained national defense information, concealed documents, and obstructed the Department of Justice's investigation into the handling of those materials. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges last week.