© 2024 Allbritton Journalism Institute

The Judge in Trump’s Election Case Has Shut Down His Attempts to Fish for Evidence

Judge Tanya Chutkan denied most of Trump’s lawyers’ requests for reams of documents.

Trump Immigration
President Donald Trump’s lawyers will be able to access documents pertaining to the DOJ’s probe into Mike Pence. Jabin Botsford/AP

The federal judge overseeing the election interference case against Donald Trump isn’t letting him know the names of undercover federal agents who were at the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection. Nor is she allowing his lawyers to go on a fishing expedition through the filing bins at the CIA, Secret Service, or much of the Department of Justice in preparation for an eventual criminal trial.

However, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled Wednesday that Trump is entitled to any documents that might show whether former Vice President Mike Pence received any special treatment from prosecutors when Pence decided to testify against his former running mate. Pence was found in possession of classified materials after leaving office but not criminally charged.

Chutkan delivered a 50-page order on Wednesday denying much of what Trump’s lawyers had requested. She also tore into Trump for grasping at straws for evidence that, she says, wouldn’t help him anyway.