Trump attends court hearing in Florida where judge will go through classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago inside a SECURE ROOM
- Trump is expected in court again – this time in a case involving classified documents
- Judge Aileen Cannon ruled in his favor last week on making the witness list public
- The hearing on Monday will focus on secret documents that form the core of the case
Former President Donald Trump returned to court Monday morning, this time to a secure facility in a Florida courthouse, where attorneys will sift through classified materials discovered during a search of Mar-a-Lago.
Trump was back in Judge Aileen Cannon’s courtroom, days after she ruled in his favor on his attorney’s request to unseat a witness list in the case, in a move that the special counsel said would “expose witnesses and others of unbearable and unnecessary risks’.
Cannon, a Trump appointee, and attorneys for opposing sides will deal with the classified and sensitive materials at the heart of the case. They will meet in a secure area in the Fort Pierce, Florida, courthouse known as a Sensitive Compartmentalized Information Facility.
It’s the kind of setup Trump would have been accustomed to as president, although his indictment also accuses him of talking about classified material in less secure settings such as his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Former President Donald Trump visited a Florida courthouse where lawyers meet to discuss classified materials found at Mar-a-Lago
His appearance comes just days after Special Counsel Robert Hur released a bombshell report into President Joe Biden’s classified documents case — explaining why the president should not be charged, but also calling him an “older” man who repeatedly had difficulty remembering details during interviews.
Trump and his co-defendants will make arguments about any classified information that “could be relevant or useful to the defense.”
Smith is then expected to present information to Cannon outside the presence of Trump’s lawyers. ABC News reported.
Judge Cannon is balancing the Trump team’s demands to make information public with Smith’s claims that doing so could put people in danger.
In a document dated Wednesday, he asked for information to be filed under seal because “the exhibit describes in some detail the threats made via social media to a potential government witness and the surrounding circumstances, and the fact that these threats are the subject of an ongoing process. federal investigation is being handled by a United States Attorney.
Trump was indicted last year for possessing national security information and defying a grand jury subpoena to turn over information coming from the White House to his private club after he left office.
Trump’s case with classified documents got a mention in Hur’s report on Biden — although it was his comments about Biden’s memory and the president’s explosive response amid a series of flubs when discussing world leaders that made headlines.
Lawyers for former President Donald Trump and federal prosecutors will face off in a Florida courtroom over classified and sensitive materials discovered at Mar-a-Lago
Trump was back in court, days after railing against NATO allies for failing to set defense spending targets and saying he would “encourage” Russia to invade them. ‘I said, “You haven’t paid? Are you delinquent?”… ‘No, I wouldn’t protect you, in fact I would encourage them to do whatever they want. You have to pay.”
Former President Donald Trump arrives at the federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida, on Monday, February 12, 2024, for a closed hearing in his criminal case, in which he is accused of mishandling classified documents
“Contrary to the evidence implicating Mr. Biden, the allegations in the indictment against Mr. Trump, if proven, would amount to serious aggravating facts,” Hur wrote.
“Notably, after being given multiple opportunities to return classified documents and avoid prosecution, Mr. Trump reportedly did the opposite. According to the indictment, he not only refused to return the documents for months, but also obstructed justice by enlisting others to destroy evidence and then lie about it. By contrast, Mr. Biden turned in classified documents to the National Archives and the Justice Department, consented to the search of multiple locations, including his homes, and sat down for a voluntary interview. and otherwise cooperated with the investigation,” the report said.