Trump lawyers shrug off threats against court officials as 'audience reactions'

Donald Trump's lawyers dismissed threats targeting New York Judge Arthur Engoron and his chief clerk, including many that propose violence or even death, as "audience reactions."

The former president's defense team responded to a motion filed Thanksgiving Day by special counsel Jack Smith's office that cited threats in the New York fraud trial as a reason why a gag order should be imposed in the election subversion case in the District of Columbia.

"To date, the prosecution has never submitted any evidence of alleged 'threats' or 'harassment' to any prosecutor, court staff, or potential witness in this case," Trump's lawyers stated. "This falls short of the 'solidity of evidence' required to justify a prior restraint."

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Engoron had imposed a gag order against Trump in the fraud trial that prohibited him from commenting on court staff, although that has been temporarily lifted pending an appeal.

But the former president's lawyers argued that he was justified in making remarks, including claims that the court's clerk Allison Greenfield was openly biased against him.

Earlier this week, officials revealed the judge had received multiple "credible" death threats.

"The cited affirmation, albeit irrelevant, concedes that "Mr. Trump did not directly threaten Ms. Greenfield' and instead describes speech by unidentified, independent third parties," his lawyers stated. "This confirms that the prosecution seeks to impose 'a speech burden based on audience reactions,' which 'is simply government hostility and intervention in a different guise.'"