Judge admonishing Trump could end up 'provoking' him: former FBI official
Donald Trump on cover of his new book 'Crippled America' (Screenshot)

A national security expert said Monday that should the federal judge presiding over Donald Trump's Jan. 6 election conspiracy case be compelled to admonish or even discipline the former president over his public communications, including his use of social media, it could make a bad situation worse.

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe during an appearance on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” suggested that such admonishments could have a “provoking effect” on the former president.

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“You've been on the receiving end of tweets of his, What do you make of how Judge [Tanya] Chutkan is handling that and the message she is sending about how they will be viewed?” guest host John Berman asked McCabe.

“He's never met a line that he didn't cross or a norm that he didn't break and, so, I wonder how effective — if the judge finds herself in a position to set limits or, you know, chide him for his activities in the social media space, I really feel like that will have just a provoking effect on him. So, it's hard to see how those two forces working in opposite directions end up in a good place at the end of the day,” McCabe said.
“But I have to tell you that I think all signs so far are that this judge is very much in control of her courtroom,” McCabe explained. “She's going to run this calendar the way she sees fit, and the defendant is just going to have to go along with it.”
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