The former president of United States Donald Trump He went to a federal court in the state of Florida this Monday to attend a closed hearing in the case of mishandling of top secret government documents.
The judge in the case, Aileen Cannon, convened the former president’s defense team (2017-2021) and members of the prosecution to discuss how access to classified evidence would be handled in the case.
Trump and his entourage arrived in the morning at the courthouse in Fort Pierce, about 200 km north of Miami (southeast), where a group of supporters were waiting with banners in support of his campaign to take part in the November elections. The 77-year-old Republican politician left the justice buildings shortly after 2:00 p.m. (19:00 GMT).
Last year, Trump pleaded not guilty to illegally storing classified documents at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, and obstructing the FBI’s efforts to recover them.
In order to prepare the case, his lawyers want access to confidential evidence from the public prosecutor, which the prosecutor refuses on the grounds that it is too sensitive material.
“Defense counsel should be prepared to discuss in detail their defense theories on the case and how confidential information might be relevant or useful to the defense,” Cannon wrote in the court document calling the hearing.
The judge heard the defense’s arguments until the early afternoon before receiving the prosecution, also behind closed doors.
This process is scheduled to begin on May 20th. Joining Trump in the dock will also be the manager of the Mar-a-Lago complex, Carlos de Oliveira, and the former president’s personal assistant, Waltine Nauta.
In recent weeks, Trump has appeared at hearings in several cases opened against him.
His legal troubles currently do not appear to be stopping his desire to return to the White House with a victory in November’s presidential election. On the contrary: Trump is the big favorite to lead the Republicans in these elections.
AFP
