The judge in the election interference case against former President Donald Trump and 19 other co-defendants said Wednesday that he will issue an emergency protective order to keep discovery materials from being leaked in the case. 

Details of videotaped testimony by co-defendants including former Trump lawyers Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, and Kenneth Chesebro, all of whom are pleading guilty in the case, have been leaked to the media even though they were supposed to be kept confidential.

“The release of these confidential video recordings is clearly intended to intimidate witnesses,” the filing by Prosecutor Fanni Willis said, “subjecting them to harassment and threats prior to trial, constitutes indirect communication about the facts of this case with co-defendants and witnesses.”

Willis had originally asked for the protective order on September 27, but it was delayed due to negotiations between all the parties of the exact language of the order.

Damaging to Trump

So far, the leaks have been damaging to Trump, which begs the question why the prosecution is so opposed to them.

Willis also said in her filing that she would not send videos of the depositions to Trump's legal team, but that the team would need to come to her office in Atlanta to view the footage and take notes.

This does not seem fair to Trump's team, which could then be at a disadvantage in preparing to defend him.

According to the leaks, Jenna Ellis testified that then-Trump deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino told her in December 2020 that Trump planned to refuse to leave the White House when his term ended.

Of course, that testimony is hearsay and may not be admitted in court anyway, but it's what they've got.

Trump did leave office

In fact, Trump did leave office exactly when he was supposed to, so does it really even matter whether he blustered about it a few weeks beforehand?

It may be an "aha" or "gotcha" moment for Trump haters, but it only shows that Trump believed sincerely that the 2020 election was compromised and that the result did not represent voters' true intentions.

The fact that the race was won by only about 44,000 total votes in several key states would give anyone cause to wonder, particularly with all the COVID-voting shenanigans and social media censorship of the October surprise Hunter Biden laptop story to be considered.

Whether or not you believe Trump actually won, should have won, or only almost won, you can't fault him for having questions about it and trying to uncover any fraud that might have been there.

The rumors alone were enough to give most GOP voters at the time pause, and when nothing panned out like Trump thought it would, he had no choice but to transfer power--which he did.