Former US President Donald Trump appears before a federal judge in Florida this Friday in the event of mismanagement of top secret documents, at a hearing that could decide the start of the trial. Judge Aileen Cannon asked the former president’s defense and the prosecution to address the trial’s schedule, taking into account that both parties had filed motions that would likely postpone the trial’s scheduled May 20 start.
Trump and his entourage arrived at the courthouse in Fort Pierce, southeast Florida, where a group of supporters waited with signs of support. Last year, the former president (2017-2021) pleaded not guilty to illegally storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, hindering the FBI’s efforts to recover them, and making false statements.
His legal team is trying to delay proceedings against him until after the November election, in which, barring a surprise, he will be the Republican nominee. For now, he has already managed to postpone the start of the other federal trial facing the tycoon – the one over his alleged attempt to change the outcome of the 2020 election – by getting the Supreme Court to consider whether he enjoys immunity or not for crimes he committed while he was still president.
For secret documents, your lawyers have asked Cannon to dismiss the charges, claiming, among other things, that Trump is immune. But if the trial were to take place, they have requested that it take place after the elections.
“As the primary candidate in the 2024 election, President Trump emphatically declares that a fair trial consistent with the Constitution cannot be conducted this year,” the defense said in a document sent to the judge on Thursday.
The special prosecutor in the case, Jack Smith, suggested July 8 as the date for the trial to begin. Both parties will also address this Friday the prosecution’s request to seal or conceal excerpts from documents presented by the defense, particularly those revealing the identities of government witnesses. According to Smith’s team, this measure is necessary to protect these people from possible threats or harassment.
Along with Trump, the manager of the Mar-a-Lago complex, Carlos de Oliveira and the former president’s personal assistant, Waltine Nauta.
dmr