Donald Trump reportedly appeared in court on Monday, arguing for access to classified documents pertinent to a case accusing him of illegally retaining such materials after his presidency.
What Happened: Trump and his legal team spent about five hours in Federal District Court in Fort Pierce, Fla., presenting their defense strategy to Judge Aileen Cannon. The objective of the closed hearing was to convince the judge to allow Trump’s team access to highly classified materials identified by federal prosecutors as potential evidence, reported The New York Times on Monday.
Special Counsel Jack Smith, leading the prosecution, argued that the materials in question are irrelevant to Trump’s defense. This marked the first time Trump and Judge Cannon, who was appointed by Trump in 2020, met in the courthouse.
Despite the proceedings being closed to the public, dozens of Trump’s supporters gathered outside the courthouse, awaiting his arrival and departure. However, Trump, known for using court appearances as campaign stops, did not interact with his supporters.
Trump and his team are seeking access to the classified material, which typically pertains to sources and methods of intelligence collection in national security cases. The federal courts have a system, the Classified Information Procedures Act, for reviewing classified material that is part of a case without publicly disclosing its contents.
The prosecution presented its case to Judge Cannon on Jan. 31, arguing against sharing the material with the defense. The trial over the classified documents was initially scheduled for May, but it is not likely to begin until after the November election.
Why It Matters: This case comes in the wake of a similar investigation into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents, which concluded without charges despite findings of willful retention and disclosure of sensitive information.
Trump has publicly stated that he should not face charges in the classified documents case, especially considering the outcome of Biden’s case.
The case also follows reports of the FBI missing two rooms at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate during their search for classified documents.
Presidential candidate Nikki Haley took a dig at Trump and said that the former president should consider hiring Biden’s legal team, following the special counsel’s decision not to charge Biden over the handling of classified documents.
Photo by a katz on Shutterstock
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