If you think about the criminal case in Washington DC, that charges Donald Trump with attempting a coup, you know the potential witness list must be staggeringly large. It’s going to include William Barr and Brad Raffensperger. It’s going to include the whole former top echelon of the Justice Department. It may include members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the National Security Council. It could include a dozen or more members of the White House staff, from the former chief on down. It will definitely include former members of the White House legal team, and a host of outside rabble-rousers and co-conspirators. As of today, Trump can’t talk shit about any of them. Additionally, he can no longer talk shit about Special Counsel Jack Smith, the federal court overseeing the case or its staff.

A federal judge on Monday imposed new limitations on President Donald Trump’s speech regarding his criminal case tied to trying to overturn the 2020 election following a contentious hearing Monday.

U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the case, imposed an order restricting aspects of Trump’s speech following a two-hour proceeding at the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington. The limits cover statements about Special Counsel Jack Smith, the federal court and staff, as well as possible witnesses in the trial scheduled for March.

“This is not about whether or not I like the language Mr. Trump uses,” Chutkan said in handing down her opinion from the bench. “This is about language that presents a danger to the administration of justice.”

This is a partial gag order and not all that Smith’s team requested. Apparently, Trump can still trash-talk the people of the District of Columbia from whom the jury will be drawn. But if he continues to lash out at Jack Smith or goes after the court, or if he continues to badmouth people like Bob Barr and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Mark Milley, then Judge Chutkan will impose sanctions.

The judge said that Trump’s “troubling” posts may encourage harm against [Jack] Smith and his team and questioned Trump’s attorneys as to why he should not be restricted from publicly attacking prosecutors during his case.

Chutkan specifically pointed to a Truth Social post in which the former president referred to Smith as a “thug,” asking [Trump lawyer, John] Lauro: “In what kind of case do you think it would be appropriate for a criminal defendant to call the prosecutor a thug and stay on the streets?”

“‘Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest’ comes to mind,” Chutkan said.

For context, that quote about a meddlesome priest is a reference to King Henry II of England who allegedly made the comment in 1170 about Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Afterwards, four knights traveled to Canterbury and rid Henry II of Becket in the following way.

[Becket] had barely finished speaking when the impious knight, fearing that he would be saved by the people and escape alive, suddenly set upon him and, shaving off the summit of his crown which the sacred chrism consecrated to God, he wounded the sacrificial lamb of God in the head; the lower arm of the writer was cut by the same blow. Indeed [the writer] stood firmly with the holy archbishop, holding him in his arms – while all the clerics and monks fled – until the one he had raised in opposition to the blow was severed…Then, with another blow received on the head, he remained firm. But with the third the stricken martyr bent his knees and elbows, offering himself as a living sacrifice, saying in a low voice, “For the name of Jesus and the protection of the church I am ready to embrace death.” But the third knight inflicted a grave wound on the fallen one; with this blow he shattered the sword on the stone and his crown, which was large, separated from his head so that the blood turned white from the brain yet no less did the brain turn red from the blood; it purpled the appearance of the church…The fourth knight drove away those who were gathering so that the others could finish the murder more freely and boldly. The fifth – not a knight but a cleric who entered with the knights – so that a fifth blow might not be spared him who had imitated Christ in other things, placed his foot on the neck of the holy priest and precious martyr and (it is horrible to say) scattered the brains with the blood across the floor, exclaiming to the rest, “We can leave this place, knights, he will not get up again.”

Judge Chutkan’s point was clearly that a political leader doesn’t need to expressly call for murder for his loyal followers to get the point and carry out the deed. Therefore, the former president of the United States may not make disparaging remarks about the people who are prosecuting him or testifying against him. And the judge did not care that Trump is running to be president again.

“Mr. Trump is a criminal defendant. He is facing four felony charges. He is under the supervision of the criminal justice system and he must follow his conditions of release,” Chutkan said Monday during the hearing.

“He does not have the right to say and do exactly what he pleases. Do you agree with that?” she asked Trump attorney John Lauro, who responded: “100%.”…

“This is not about whether I like the language Mr. Trump uses,” Judge Tanya Chutkan said. “This is about language that presents a danger to the administration of justice.”

“His presidential candidacy does not give him carte blanche to vilify public servants who are simply doing their jobs,” the judge added.

Naturally, Trump’s lawyers argued that this partial gag order will interfere with Trump’s candidacy. But the coup-plotter really should be focused more on staying out of prison than again becoming the nation’s “chief law enforcement officer,” sworn to uphold the Constitution.  That prospect should be ludicrous, even though it’s actually quite plausible if the polls can be believed.

He will use this gag order to play the martyr, but he better be careful in what he says. The sanctions will probably start small and escalate with repeat offenses. His bail could be revoked, and I think being sent to prison or some kind of home confinement would definitely impact his ability to campaign.

So it goes.