'Irrelevant, prejudicial, and false claims': Kilmar Abrego Garcia wants judge to issue gag order against Kristi Noem, Pam Bondi, and other Trump admin officials

Attorneys representing Kilmar Abrego Garcia filed a question connected Thursday asking a justice to contented a gag bid against respective Trump medication officials – but particularly against U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

The petition comes arsenic portion of Abrego Garcia's transgression lawsuit connected quality smuggling charges successful Tennessee, overseen by U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw, Jr., a Barack Obama appointee.

This follows back-and-forth motions implicit each party's respective media strategies successful the high-profile case, which became a flashpoint successful President Donald Trump's second-term migration agenda.

"Since Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia was released from pretrial custody past Friday, officials from the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security — and adjacent the White House — person attacked Mr. Abrego successful the media successful galore highly prejudicial, inflammatory, and mendacious statements," the question begins.

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Earlier this week, Abrego Garcia's attorneys brushed disconnected the Trump administration's ain complaints that the suspect was courting media coverage. The lawyers besides utilized the accidental to impeach medication officials of "leaking and speaking openly to the media" portion "crowing astir its impending deportation" of their lawsuit to the African federation of Uganda.

The latest filing marks the 3rd clip the defence has raised the contented that specified nationalist statements mightiness negatively interaction Abrego Garcia's close to a just trial.

The 15-page motion asked the tribunal to bid Bondi, Noem, and "all DOJ and DHS officials progressive successful [the] case" to "refrain from making extrajudicial comments that airs a important likelihood of materially prejudicing this proceeding."

While impetus for the petition is the caller spate of antagonistic commentary from high-ranking officials aft his merchandise connected bail, the question says the invective is thing caller – but argues the comments person a existent changeable astatine upturning the carriage of adversarial justness itself.

"As Mr. Abrego has described successful erstwhile submissions, ever since helium sued the authorities to enjoin his unlawful removal to El Salvador, galore authorities officials person vilified him successful the media — and these baseless nationalist attacks person continued adjacent aft helium was indicted successful this District," the question goes on. "Mr. Abrego's merchandise from pretrial detention reignited the efforts of officials crossed the Executive Branch — and peculiarly astatine DHS — to besmirch some Mr. Abrego and the courts successful a run to effort this lawsuit successful the tribunal of nationalist opinion."

Noem is singled retired arsenic peculiarly culpable.

Within "minutes" of Abrego Garcia's merchandise from pretrial detention, the DHS caput issued a connection criticizing "[a]ctivist wide judges" for "attempt[ing] to obstruct our instrumentality enforcement each measurement of the mode successful removing the worst of the worst transgression amerciable aliens from our country," the question notes. Noem went connected to knock the justice successful Abrego Garcia's civilian lawsuit for being the "publicity bare Maryland judge" who allowed a "MS-13 pack member, quality trafficker, serial home abuser, and kid predator" to spell free, the question further explains.

But Noem was not alone, the question makes clear.

The White House stated its ain disparagement of Abrego Garcia instantly aft his release. Then, DHS issued a abstracted property merchandise quoting Noem's earlier statement. Later, erstwhile Abrego Garcia was backmost location successful the Old Line State, White House borderline czar Tom Homan said the suspect is "not going to locomotion the streets of this nation" and called him a "criminal alien," the question catalogues.

Once Abrego Garcia returned to Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention connected Aug. 25, some Trump and Bondi took to the dais astatine a White House property league to further remark connected his case, according to the motion.

"[W]e've got him nether control, helium volition nary longer terrorize our country," Bondi said successful effect to a question. "He's presently charged with quality smuggling, including children. The feline needs to beryllium successful prison, helium doesn't request to beryllium connected the streets similar each these liberals privation him to be.… We are going to support America harmless from each of these overseas violent organizations, including Abrego Garcia."

During that aforesaid property conference, the 45th and 47th president said Abrego Garcia's "wife is acrophobic to adjacent speech astir him," which does not look to beryllium true. Trump himself is not named successful the gag bid request.

The question cited a section regularisation and the close to a just proceedings successful its petition for the gag order. The question further asked the tribunal to, astatine the precise least, unit the government's lawyers to supply an accounting of steps it has taken to comply with an earlier bid directing "all counsel" to abide by national and Volunteer State lawyer rules regarding extrajudicial statements that could harm a suspect successful the eyes of the public.

The question besides cautions – possibly mounting the signifier for different benignant of filing wholly – antagonistic comments from the Trump medication whitethorn person already infected the prosecution beyond salvation.

"Further involution from the Court is indispensable to support Mr. Abrego's close to a just proceedings and the integrity of these proceedings," the question argues. "The government's ongoing barrage of prejudicial statements severely endanger — and possibly person already irrevocably impaired — the quality to effort this lawsuit astatine each — successful immoderate venue. If the authorities is allowed to proceed successful this way, it volition taint immoderate conceivable assemblage excavation by exposing the full state to irrelevant, prejudicial, and mendacious claims astir Mr. Abrego."