Trump lashes out at Jack Smith and Judge Chutkan hours before his lawyers face critical deadline

Donald Trump launched a fresh attack on special counsel Jack Smith and U.S. District Court judge Tanya Chutkan hours before his legal team has been ordered to answer for his previous comments about his prosecution.

The special counsel's office asked Chutkan to set limits on what Trump's team could do with evidence shared with them after Trump posted an apparent threat against witnesses in the case, and the judge set a deadline for 5 p.m. Monday to respond to that motion -- and the former president continued commenting.

"Deranged Jack Smith is going before his number on draft pick, the Judge of his 'dreams' (WHO MUST BE RECUSED!), in an attempt to take away my FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS," Trump posted on his Truth Social website. "This, despite the fact that he, the DOJ, and his many Thug Prosecutors, are illegally leaking, everything and anything, to the Fake News Media!!!"

Prosecutors sought in their original protective order request to prohibit Trump's attorneys from providing copies of "sensitive" details from grand jury transcripts and other evidence to the ex-president because they feared he would publicly share them or take other actions that could possibly obstruct the case.

READ MORE: 'What's worth that?': Lindsey Graham buried for latest 'groveling' claims about Trump

Trump could be shown those materials under those restrictions but would not be allowed to take down personal identifying information from those documents.