Federal prosecutors have raised concerns that former President Donald Trump may have violated the law if he bought a handgun during a recent campaign stop in South Carolina
The prosecutors argue that Trump's purchase of a gun, as shown in a social media video, could constitute a separate federal crime, especially considering a pending felony indictment against him
The video posted by a Trump campaign staffer depicted Trump at the Palmetto State Armory, a gun store in Summerville, South Carolina, holding a Glock pistol with his likeness etched into it
Despite the initial claim that Trump purchased the gun, the campaign staffer later deleted the post and denied Trump's possession of the firearm. Prosecutors contend that the video contradicts this denial
Trump further contributed to the confusion by reposting a video suggesting that he had bought a "Golden Glock" in South Carolina
Prosecutors have requested a gag order on Trump due to his public statements attacking prosecutors, the judge overseeing his case, and potential witnesses
They believe these statements could potentially intimidate jurors or bias the jury pool
The judge in the case, Tanya S. Chutkan, has scheduled a hearing for October 16 to discuss the request for a limited gag order to prevent Trump from spreading prejudicial pretrial publicity
Prosecutors argue that Trump's frequent "disparaging and inflammatory attacks" on jurors, witnesses, prosecutors, and the judge are undermining confidence in the judicial system
Trump's attorneys argue that a gag order against a presidential candidate would infringe on his First Amendment rights and accuse prosecutors of trying to limit his freedom of speech during a crucial period in his campaign
In their filing, prosecutors highlighted additional alarming statements made by Trump since the gag order request was initially made
including derogatory comments about witnesses and officials involved in his indictment, as well as false claims regarding the 2020 election