Former President Trump is expected to appear in person on Monday for a hearing in the classified documents case against him in a specially equipped secure room in Florida.
Trump will attend a hearing presided over by US District Judge Cannon at the Sensitive Compartment Information Facility, or SCIF, in Fort Pierce, Florida, designed to view classified documents.
Canon of the Southern District of Florida will hear arguments Monday from attorneys for Trump, Nauta, and de Oliveira on “the defense theories of the case” and “any classified information that may be relevant or helpful,” the court said, outlining the schedule. defense,” according to the outlet. Special counsel Jack Smith will present arguments to Cannon in the absence of Trump’s lawyers. Cannon requested Tuesday be set aside for further proceedings “if necessary” by both parties.
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Trump’s and Smith’s legal teams have often disagreed during pretrial hearings over how much should be discovered or shielded from public view in court filings. Last week, Smith filed a motion asking Cannon to reconsider his earlier ruling that his team file the cache of documents in the public docket.
Smith said in a motion last week that federal authorities are investigating a series of online threats to a potential witness connected to the classified documents investigation and asked a judge to allow his team to file the exhibit under seal.
“The exhibit describes the threats made to a prospective government witness via social media and the circumstances surrounding those threats as they relate to a federal investigation being conducted by the United States Attorney’s Office,” the filing said. “Revealing the details and circumstances of the threats risks disrupting the investigation.”
Trump told Fox News Digital last week that Smith needed to “immediately” drop all charges against him in his classified records case, following President Biden’s decision not to indict him for withholding sensitive national security documents.
Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report was made public last week. Hur did not recommend criminal charges against Biden for mishandling and retaining classified documents and stated that he would not bring charges against Biden even if he were not in the Oval Office.
Those records included classified documents about military and foreign policy in Afghanistan, among other records related to national security and foreign policy, which Hur said implicated “sensitive intelligence sources and methods.”
The Hur report also sparked further concern over Biden’s age and mental faculties, as the special counsel noted serious discrepancies in the 81-year-old president’s memory.
Trump, on the other hand, was charged out of Smith’s investigation related to his retention of classified materials. Trump pleaded not guilty to all 37 felony charges out of Smith’s probe. The charges include willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements.
Trump, the 2024 GOP front-runner, was then charged with an additional three counts as part of a superseding indictment out of Smith’s investigation — an additional count of willful retention of national defense information and two additional obstruction counts. Trump pleaded not guilty.
That trial is set to begin on May 20.
Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, Florida, was raided by the FBI in August 2022. Federal agents seized documents and records dating back to Trump’s presidency.