Grisham: Trump ‘will absolutely put things out there’ if judge rejects protective order

Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said former President Trump is likely to share evidence publicly in his 2020 election fraud case, whether or not the judge imposes a protective order that would prevent him from doing just that.

“I think that he wants to derail this case. I think that he wants to be able to know what’s going on in the indictment and with the grand jury so he can derail this case,” Grisham said Tuesday on CNN.

“It’s Donald Trump, and he doubles down on everything. If somebody tells him no, then he’s immediately going to do the opposite,” she added.

Federal prosecutors in Trump’s 2020 election case requested a protective order last week that would stop Trump from discussing significant amounts of evidence in the case, including grand jury details and witness testimony. Trump’s legal team has pushed back on the move, and has set a hearing on the motion for Friday.

In their request, prosecutors cited Trump’s penchant to discuss case details, witnesses and other figures on social media. In response, Trump made various attacks on Truth Social against former Vice President Mike Pence — believed to be a key witness in the case — in addition to prosecutors and the judge herself.

“I can almost guarantee you that if the judge rules in Trump’s favor, he will absolutely put things out there in an attempt to derail the case, because that only makes it draw out longer, it gives him more time to potentially win the election and drop all the charges against himself,” Grisham said.

Federal prosecutors have emphasized speed in Trump’s 2020 election case, to the protest of Trump’s legal team, with experts saying a trial is possible before the 2024 election.

Trump was indicted on four charges including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and conspiracy against rights over allegations he conspired to overturn the 2020 election using fraudulent Electoral College votes.

His next court appearance in the case is scheduled for Aug. 28, when a trial date is expected to be set.

Trump has been indicted twice before, once in a federal case alleging he mishandled classified documents and once in New York state related to alleged hush money payments. 

The grand jury in a Georgia state investigation into similar 2020 election claims is expected to decide on whether to charge Trump in the coming weeks.