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Former President Donald Trump could be arrested immediately after his debate with President Joe Biden on Thursday (June 27) if a South Florida federal judge approves a gag order in the documents case against him, according to Trump defense lawyer Todd Blanche, Politico reports.
Blanche pushed back against the request made by special counsel Jack Smith, arguing that it could be used against Trump, 78, in the upcoming presidential debate as a violation would allow prosecutors to "get an arrest warrant and, if signed, they can arrest him," during a court hearing on Monday (June 24). U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by Trump, previously rejected a request for a gag order barring the former president from threatening statements made about law enforcement last month and chastised a prosecutor arguing in favor of it in her courtroom on Monday.
Smith's team argued that Trump mischaracterized a routine "deadly force" authorization when his Mar-a-Lago estate was under an FBI search in August 2022, which the former president claimed was "an attempt to kill him, his family, and the Secret Service agents," according to court filings. Prosecutors argued that Trump's comments “endangered law enforcement officers involved in the investigation and prosecution of this case and threatened the integrity of these proceedings.”
President Biden and former President Trump will appear in a 90-minute debate hosted by CNN and moderated by anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash on Thursday.