Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward and former President Donald Trump.
Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward and former President Donald Trump.
  • Lawyers for journalist Bob Woodward are accusing former President Trump of threatening free speech.
  • Trump sued Woodward in January, claiming ownership over recordings of interviews he participated in.
  • A victory for Trump would invite "contractual censorship of criticism," the attorneys wrote.

A victory for Donald Trump in federal court would be a blow against freedom, encouraging powerful politicians and others to use the guise of copyright to censor their critics and a"chill open discourse," lawyers for journalist Bob Woodward argued Monday as part of a legal battle over who owns the words that came out of the former president's mouth while he was in office.