Trump calls judge who released case files before election ‘evil’

Donald Trump has called a judge who released more than 1,800 pages of evidence in special counsel Jack Smith’s election conspiracy case a “very evil person.”

The Republican White House candidate called U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Sutgan’s denial of her request to delay the release of new evidence until after next month’s vote as “election interference.”

Legal analysts have debated whether the filing in the case violated an internal Justice Department rule requiring prosecutors to refrain from any investigative activity that could affect the election within 60 days.

But in his ruling, Justice Sudkan argued that if the files had been covered up, it could have been considered election interference.

“If a court withholds information that the public has a right to access solely because of the potential political consequences of releasing it, that withholding may be — or appear to be — election interference,” he wrote.

Last year, a Texas woman was accused of making death threats against Judge Sudkan, citing the Trump case.

The heavily redacted 1,889-page documents released Friday redact information already publicly available, including portions of former Vice President Mike Pence’s biography and his formal announcement that he would not change the results of the 2020 election.

The new evidence is part of a motion Mr Smith filed last month.

Appearing during a podcast with right-wing media personality Dan Bongino on Friday, Trump slammed Judge Sudkan and called the special counsel “a sick puppy.”

The January 6, 2021 indictment centered on the US Capitol riots accused Trump of illegally conspiring to overturn his election loss to Joe Biden three months earlier.

After the Supreme Court ruled this summer that Trump could not be prosecuted for official acts carried out as president, Mr Smith was forced to reverse the historic case and argue that Trump committed the crimes while in office, but as a private citizen.

She filed a new lawsuit against the former president in September, which includes allegations that Trump encouraged false claims of election fraud despite believing he was “crazy.”

The motion also includes new details about how Trump’s relationship with Pence soured after the former vice president told Trump to stop repeating false election fraud theories and move on.

The documents released Friday include interviews with a Jan. 6 House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol riots, portions of Pence’s autobiography and fundraising emails sent to voters.

It is unclear whether the case will go to trial on January 6. The investigation is expected to end when Trump returns to the White House.

He also faces several other criminal charges. He has already been convicted of 34 felony counts in New York related to hush-payments.