Judge Issues Protective Order After Trump Codefendant’s Attorney Leaks Video

He explained that the order would keep the discovery process ‘unimpeded’ for all parties

Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee hears motions from attorneys representing Ken Chesebro and Sidney Powell, two co-defendants of former President Donald Trump, at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Ga., on Sept. 14, 2023. Miguel Martinez/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee issued a protective order on Thursday that would keep “sensitive” materials in the high-profile racketeering case against former President Donald Trump under seal, after video statements of four defendants who took guilty pleas were leaked to the media.

“Allowing parties the unfettered ability to share pretrial materials with the public undermines the ’smooth functioning of the discovery process,'” Judge McAfee wrote in the order issued a day after the court held an emergency hearing with all parties.