Former US President Donald Trump’s request to have the lawsuit involving confidential information against him was dismissed by a Florida court. His lawyers said there was ambiguity in the criminal accusations made under the Espionage Act. However, Judge Aileen Cannon noted that a decision in Mr. Trump’s favor would have been an “extraordinary step”.
Later, she will decide on a second Trump request, claiming that former presidents are exempt from record-keeping requirements. Attending the court on Thursday was Mr. Trump, who has previously entered a not-guilty plea to 40 criminal counts related to the case.
He called the lawsuit a witch hunt on his social media network, Truth Social and mentioned that “big crowds” had gathered outside the Fort Pierce court. On Thursday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg requested a 30-day postponement of the former president’s trial in New York, where he is accused of business fraud related to a payment of hush money to an adult film star.
Why the New York Trial Date was Postponed?
The trial in New York was scheduled to start on March 25. However, Mr. Bragg stated that his office needed more time to review the 31,000 pages of material that federal prosecutors had recently given it. Prosecutors in the Florida case claim that Mr. Trump kept secret records at his Mar-a-Lago home. It is alleged that he hindered the attempts of the Justice Department to get the papers and provide them to the National Archives.
Judge Cannon a Trump appointee heard a move to dismiss the case on Thursday from his attorneys, arguing that the criminal allegations of the Espionage Act were “unconstitutionally vague”. It is against the law for unauthorized individuals to keep records on national defense.
Judge Cannon, however, declared during the hearing that the request was premature and that a jury trial would be the better option. The special prosecutor Jack Smith’s team had referred to the Trump attorneys’ position as “meritless” in a written briefing. Regarding the second move made by Mr. Trump’s attorneys to have the lawsuit dismissed, the judge stated she would rule “promptly” but did not rule right away.
The Presidential Records Act, which mandates that records be given to the National Archives, is the subject of the other motion. Attorneys for Mr. Trump have said that he was entitled to the materials as he was granted “unreviewable discretion” in designating these secret records as private correspondence. However, Judge Cannon also seemed doubtful about that motion. She said that although the defense could have a good case, it need to be put to the test in court.
The Supreme Court’s Role: Can Trump Face Criminal Prosecution?
In the Florida case, all parties agree that the trial, which was originally set for May, will have to be rescheduled. The trial should begin in July, according to special prosecutor Mr. Smith, but August is what Mr. Trump’s team has proposed. During the hearing, Mr. Trump was joined by his co-defendants, Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira and assistant Walt Nauta.
At his club in Florida, the former president allegedly kept boxes of secret data in his bedroom, ballroom, bathroom, and shower. Some of the materials, according to the prosecution, discussed US military vulnerabilities and nuclear weapons programs. In addition to the criminal suits in Florida and New York, Mr. Trump is accused of meddling in the Georgia race.
But that case has been put on hold while the prosecutor’s office decides an apparent conflict of interest. Additionally, Mr. Smith, the special prosecutor, has accused him of conspiring and committing additional offenses in Washington, DC, related to the incident that occurred in the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. The US Supreme Court’s decision on whether or not presidents are exempt from criminal prosecution has put the matter on pause. On April 25, the Supreme Court will hear arguments.
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