A federal judge refused to give former President Donald Trump permission to discuss classified documents at the place where he allegedly mishandled them — his Mar-a-Lago resort.
(Bloomberg) — A federal judge refused to give former President Donald Trump permission to discuss classified documents at the place where he allegedly mishandled them — his Mar-a-Lago resort.
In an order entered Wednesday, US District Judge Aileen Cannon in Fort Pierce, Florida, sided with prosecutors in ruling that Trump and his lawyers could only discuss classified evidence in a secure facility. She declined to adopt Trump’s proposal to designate a site at Mar-a-Lago for that purpose.
The case alleging Trump willfully retained classified documents after leaving office is one of four leveling criminal charges against the former president. The investigation burst into the national consciousness a year ago when federal agents searched Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach.
Cannon’s order is an early setback for Trump, who has argued that his status as both a former president and 2024 candidate requires accommodation. His lawyers argued that requiring him to travel simply to talk about classified information would impose a heavy burden, given the complex logistics and security involved in his movements.
Federal prosecutors argued Trump was asking for “special treatment” that no other criminal defendant would get.
Read More: Trump Wants Room at Mar-a-Lago for Reviewing Classified Evidence
A spokesperson for Special Counsel John “Jack” Smith, whose office brought the case, declined to comment on Cannon’s order. A Trump spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cannon’s order doesn’t specify the sites where Trump must go to discuss the classified evidence. It left open the possibility that his lawyers could work with a specially designated security officer to get approval for sites besides already-accredited sensitive compartmented information facilities, or SCIFs.
Trump’s lawyers didn’t contest that he’d have to travel to a SCIF to see physical copies of evidence, only where he can talk about it. The judge held a hearing on the issue this week, but it was closed to the public and the media.
Wednesday’s order means that the government can start making classified information available to Trump’s legal defense team, assuming his lawyers have the necessary security clearances. The government is pushing to keep the case on track for the May 20 trial date that Cannon set over Trump’s objections.
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