New documents are set to be released in the Florida case concerning classified files from ex-President Donald Trump, following a deal struck between defense lawyers and special counsel Jack Smith’s team.
Mr. Smith filed a status report on the agreement on Monday.
“The parties hereby file this joint status report providing the parties’ positions … regarding the unsealing of filings,” the Smith team wrote.
“The Government has conferred with counsel for all defendants, and all parties are in agreement as to the positions below,” it added before listing eight documents that can be unsealed in the case.
This indicates that eight documents will become accessible to the public once they’re opened up. Prosecutors mention that some of these will have redactions to protect the identities of witnesses and other sensitive information.
Earlier, Mr. Smith argued in court papers that revealing the names of witnesses should be avoided.
The Monday filing did not disclose the nature of the documents or the information they contain. It remains unclear when these documents will be made available to the public.
The filing was submitted one day after U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon expressed her disappointment with Mr. Smith’s team for their handling of “sealing and redaction rules” in the case.
“The sealing and redaction rules should be applied consistently and fairly upon a sufficient factual and legal showing,” she wrote.
“And parties should not make requests that undermine any prior representations or positions except upon full disclosure to the Court and appropriate briefing,” Cannon added.
Simultaneously, Judge Cannon denied President Trump’s plea to redact numerous witness statements from prior motions. Additionally, she upheld the special counsel’s arguments for maintaining confidentiality in the court’s handling of grand jury materials.
In the Florida case, President Trump is confronted with numerous felony charges. These accuse him of unlawfully retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago property, which he reportedly took following his departure from the White House in 2021.
Additionally, he is accused of obstructing the FBI’s attempts to retrieve these documents. Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in this matter.
In early May, the judge stated in legal documents that she would delay the trial because of numerous legal disputes concerning the handling of classified evidence central to the case. She pointed out that there were eight pending motions before her and anticipated that it would take until July to resolve them.
The judge did not set a new trial date, leading many legal analysts and former prosecutors to speculate that the trial probably won’t take place before the November election.
If President Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, secures victory in 2024, he could potentially move to terminate Mr. Smith’s investigation or issue a self-pardon.
Several weeks ago, prosecutors noted in a filing that some materials in an evidence box appeared to have been moved around, leading to claims from the former president that the special counsel’s office may have tampered with the evidence.
“Since the boxes were seized and stored, appropriate personnel have had access to the boxes for several reasons, including to comply with orders issued by this Court in the civil proceedings noted above, for investigative purposes, and to facilitate the defendants’ review of the boxes,” Mr. Smith’s team told Judge Cannon in early May.
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