Former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during an event following his arraignment on classified document charges, at Trump National Golf Club, in Bedminster, Recent Jersey, U.S., June 13, 2023.Â
Amr Alfiky | Reuters
A federal judge on Wednesday issued an order setting limits on where and the way former President Donald Trump can discuss classified information together with his defense lawyers for the criminal case where he’s charged with retaining classified documents after leaving the White House.
The protective order by Judge Aileen Cannon instructing Trump and his lawyers to debate that information in a secured location endorsed limitations sought by prosecutors from the office of special counsel Jack Smith over the objections of Trump.
But Cannon’s order, which got here nearly two months after Smith first requested it in U.S. District Court for southern Florida, was vague on the query of whether several concessions sought by Trump on the problem would eventually be granted in a single form or the opposite.
Cannon didn’t explicitly address a request by Trump to create a so-called Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, or SCIF, at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, in order that he could discuss classified information there.
Smith had opposed that request, noting, amongst other things, that Mar-a-Lago is the scene of the alleged crime.
Smith also had opposed Trump’s request to be allowed to debate classified information in his office at Mar-a-Lago or his office at his club in Bedminster, Recent Jersey.
Cannon’s order, which was issued after a sealed hearing Tuesday on the dispute, implied that only a SCIF operated by the U.S. government could be utilized by the defense to debate classified information.
But she didn’t specifically rule out one being created at Mar-a-Lago or Bedminster in the longer term.
The judge also said a classified information security officer already appointed within the case could authorize a location aside from a SCIF for the defense to debate classified information.
“The defense shall discuss classified information only inside the SCIF or in an area authorized by the CISO,” Cannon wrote.
A spokesman for Smith, and Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment.
Trump was indicted in early June by a federal grand jury in Florida on greater than three dozen criminal counts related to his retention of lots of of classified documents after leaving the White House in January 2021, and his efforts to forestall U.S. officials from recovering those records.
Also charged within the case are his valet Walt Nauta, and a Mar-a-Lago employee, Carlos De Oliveira, who’re accused with Trump for an alleged try and destroy video surveillance footage that showed Nauta and De Oliveira moving boxes containing classified documents at a time they were being sought by a subpoena.
That is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
