Federal Judge Aileen Cannon has set an initial date of August 14 for the federal trial of former US President Donald Trump in Florida for unlawfully withholding government documents and obstructing justice, according to a court order on Tuesday.
The latest order came after a U.S. judge on Monday ordered Trump’s defense attorneys not to release evidence in the classified documents case to the media or the public, according to a court filing.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart’s order also placed strict conditions on Trump’s access to the documents.
The 37-count indictment Trump faces includes alleged violations of the Espionage Act, which criminalizes unauthorized possession of defense information, and conspiracy to obstruct justice , which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The charges include references to 31 top secret or secret documents.
The US Justice Department’s special counsel in the case, Jack Smith, said he would ask for a speedy trial, but the complexity of handling highly classified evidence, the extent to which Trump’s legal team disputes the The government’s pretrial motions and the way the judge handles the schedule could all lead to a trial that’s anything but speedy, legal experts say.
“In every case involving classified information, we’ve never had a speedy trial,” Stephanie Siegmann, former head of the national security unit at the US attorney’s office in Boston, told Reuters earlier this month.
In Espionage Act cases, rulings on pre-trial motions related to classified evidence can be appealed – an additional step that is generally not allowed in most criminal cases. routine.
Trump keeps talking
Trump, who announced his presidential campaign after officials used a subpoena and then a search warrant to recover hundreds of documents, maintained his innocence in the documents case.
He made a series of shifting explanations in campaign speeches and interviews – including with Fox Newsaired on Monday — and sometimes exclaimed he had “every right” to keep the documents.
Former US President Donald Trump has said there is no difference between his possession of classified documents and that of current President Joe Biden. Andrew Chang breaks down what Trump is right about — and what he isn’t.
Trump argued that he had declassified the documents in question and that his broad presidential powers gave him the authority to release or declassify documents. However, the Espionage Act itself does not explicitly require prosecutors to prove that the documents themselves were classified.
He also pointed to classified documents found at two properties owned by current President Joe Biden. Another special counsel is investigating the case, although Justice Department guidelines have ruled that sitting presidents cannot be charged with any crime while still in the Oval Office.
Regarding the obstruction charge, it is alleged that after receiving the subpoena, Trump suggested that his attorney hide or destroy documents. Former Trump attorneys Evan Corcoran and Tim Parlatore both testified before a grand jury investigating the case.
Trump also allegedly ordered an employee – Walt Nauta, who faces a conspiracy charge in the case – to move boxes of documents.
front burner26:30Donald Trump pleads not guilty again
Former U.S. President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to 37 federal criminal charges for unlawfully retaining national security documents when he left office and lying to officials seeking to retrieve them. CBC Washington correspondent Alex Panetta explains the evidence against him and the ramifications of this case for the upcoming presidential election. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts
Trump, 77, also faces potential legal exposure in Georgia, where a prosecutor is expected to reveal indictment decisions in August related to Trump’s attempts to overturn the state’s 2020 election result.
Additionally, federal officials held grand jury sessions on events between the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021 riot on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., during which a congressional committee heard of attempts to Trump to pressure the Justice Department and its Vice President Mike Pence to reverse his election loss to Biden.
Trump retains strong support among Republicans, according to multiple polls, and it’s unclear if any lawsuits he will face will come in the upcoming primary season. Trump has promised, if elected in November 2024, to “totally erase the Deep State” and clean up the Justice Department and the FBI, which he holds responsible for his legal troubles.