The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a protective order to restrain former President Donald Trump from disclosing classified documents that will be shared with his attorneys as part of his indictment of the Mar-a-Lago records, reported. The Hill.
According to the motion, which was obtained by The Hill, the documents available to Trump “include information relating to ongoing investigations.”
The motion, which is pending review by Judge Bruce Reinhart, would bar Trump from accessing the 31 classified documents except in the presence of his attorneys.
“Defendants will only have access to discovery materials under the direct supervision of defense counsel or a member of defense counsel’s staff,” the motion states. “Defendants shall not retain copies of the Discovery Material.”
TRUMP UNKNOWN ON 37 FEDERAL CHARGES IN SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S INVESTIGATION OF CLASSIFIED FILES
Former President Donald Trump gestures after speaking at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, NJ on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, after pleading not guilty in a Miami courtroom earlier in the day to charges dozens of counts for hoarding classified documents and refusing government requests to return them. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
“Defendants may take notes regarding discovery materials, but such notes must be securely stored by defense counsel,” the motion added.
Trump was charged with 37 federal charges this month after special counsel Jack Smith investigated his alleged mishandling of documents at his club, Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida.
The former president is accused of intentionally keeping classified documents after federal investigators issued a subpoena demanding that he return them. Specific charges include conspiracy to obstruct justice, false statements and willful withholding of national defense information.
TRUMP ADDRESSES SUPPORTERS IN NJ AFTER ENTERING ‘NOT GUILTY’ PLEA IN CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS CASE
Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower, April 3, 2023, in New York City. Trump arrived in New York on Monday for his scheduled impeachment and impeachment the next day on charges stemming from silent payments during his 2016 campaign. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
Mar-a-Lago’s indictment claimed that Trump’s alleged actions “could endanger the national security of the United States, foreign relations, the safety of the United States military and human sources and the continued viability of sensitive intelligence gathering methods”.
Trump called the indictment a “political stunt” on President Joe Biden, commenting on Truth Social ahead of his Miami court appearance this week.
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Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Dayton International Airport, November 7, 2022, in Vandalia, Ohio. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images, File)
“ONE OF THE SADEST DAYS IN OUR COUNTRY’S HISTORY. WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE!!!” Trump wrote.