Trump Attorney Says He Will Not Agree to DOJ Protective Order

John Lauro, former president Donald Trump’s attorney, said he will not agree to the Justice Department’s call for a protective order on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday after an attempt to extend the deadline was denied.

On Saturday, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan denied the former president’s motion to extend Monday’s deadline for a response to a Justice Department call for a protective order regarding his latest indictment.

Lauro also avoided clarifying whether he wants the former president to stop using terms like “deranged” and “mentally ill” to describe special counsel Jack Smith.

Former President Trump — The former president is facing four charges in Washington, D.C. for his attempts to hold onto power following the 2020 election.Win McNamee/Getty Images

“I’m not involved in the campaign, I’m involved in representing [him],” Lauro said. “One thing we are going to do is fight this very unusual, out-of-the-bounds, criminal prosecution.”

The former president is facing four charges in Washington, D.C. for his attempts to hold onto power following the 2020 election. Lauro has consistently defended Trump by claiming the former president has a right to "political advocacy" on the basis of the First Amendment. The first pre-trial hearing has been set for Aug. 28.

Trump is currently leading in the race for the GOP nomination with a recent poll showing a 37 percentage point lead over his nearest opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.