Special counsel Jack Smith and federal prosecutors said former President Donald Trump could have broken the law on a trip to South Carolina Monday where he admired a Glock branded with his likeness, according to a court filing Friday.
“The defendant either purchased a gun in violation of the law and his conditions of release, or seeks to benefit from his supporters’ mistaken belief that he did so,” prosecutors wrote.
Felony defendants cannot purchase a firearm under federal law. Trump faces 91 felony charges across his four criminal cases.
In a now deleted video posted by Trump’s campaign, the former president posed for pictures at the gun store.
“I want to buy one,” Trump said in the video. “Isn’t a Glock a great gun?”
His campaign later released a statement saying, “President Trump did not purchase or take possession of the firearm. He simply indicated that he wanted one.”
Prosecutors pushed for a gag order on Trump, also noting his online statements about retiring Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and other witnesses. The former president attacked the top general in a Truth Social post earlier this month, accusing Milley of treason and suggesting the death penalty.
“No other criminal defendant would be permitted to issue public statements insinuating that a known witness in his case should be executed; this defendant should not be, either,” prosecutors wrote.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Prosecutors say Trump may have broken the law, push for gag order