Georgia judge schedules emergency hearing in Trump case after evidence leaks

The Georgia judge scheduled an emergency hearing for Wednesday after video evidence leaked in the case involving former President Donald Trump and his allies' alleged efforts to challenge the 2020 election.

The Fulton County District Attorney's office filed an emergency protective order motion Tuesday in an attempt to prevent other materials from becoming public, according to The Messenger. 

The prosecutors' request comes after ABC News and The Washington Post reported Monday about the proffer statements, or recorded video interviews that were part of four co-conspirators' guilty plea deals. The defendants who pleaded guilty are attorneys Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro as well as former Republican poll watcher Scott Hall.

Trump and the remaining 14 other co-conspirators charged in the scheme have pleaded not guilty.  

"The release of these confidential video recordings is clearly intended to intimidate witnesses in this case, subjecting them to harassment and threats prior to trial, constitutes indirect communication about the facts of this case with codefendants and witnesses, and obstructs the administration of justice, in violation of the conditions of release imposed on each defendant," Fulton County prosecutors said in their request for the hearing and protective order.

Trump and five other co-defendants filed a motion in opposition to the protective order, arguing that the state "failed to meet its burden of establishing that a protective order should be issued ... based upon a substantial threat of physical or economic harm to a particular witness."

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