Judge Cannon tells Trump co-defendants they can't see confidential docs in new ruling
Judge Aileen Cannon told former President Donald Trump's co-defendants in his federal Florida case that they cannot look at classified documents, court records show.
The Trump-appointed judge sided with special prosecutor Jack Smith and barred Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira from receiving access to secret materials produced in discovery, Guardian reporter Hugo Lowell was among the first to
report.
This is one of four criminal court cases
Trump faces in 2024 as he inches toward becoming the Republican nominee in the upcoming presidential election.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges that he willfully retained national defense information, conspired to obstruct justice and corruptly concealed documents.
He also argues he's the target of a political witch hunt.
Smith contends Trump scattered classified records across his Florida social club Mar-a-Lago.
Judge Aileen Cannon told former President Donald Trump's co-defendants in his federal Florida case that they cannot look at classified documents, court records show. The Trump-appointed judge sided with special prosecutor Jack Smith and barred Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira from receiving...
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The order
also provides three reasons Smith's motion was granted:
"First, as a threshold matter, the materials at issue implicate the government’s classified information and/or national security privilege. The Special Counsel 'supported each of its motions with detailed declarations from the relevant equity-holders explaining the specific information at issue, its classification status, and why its disclosure even to cleared counsel would damage national security.'"
"Second, the Special Counsel has made a sufficient showing that Defendant Nauta and De Oliveira’s personal review of the materials produced in classified discovery would not be “relevant and helpful” to their defense, within the meaning of CIPA [Classified Information Procedures Act]."
"Third, Defendants Nauta and De Oliveira fail to rebut the Special Counsel’s showing as to the subject materials’ lack of helpfulness," adding, "Defendants Nauta and De Oliveira still fail to provide any examples of documents produced in classified discovery that—if made available to them for personal review—would be helpful in countering the allegation that they conspired to help Defendant Trump 'keep classified documents he had taken with him from the White House' and 'hide and conceal them from a federal grand jury.'"
Cannon's order
comes one day after Smith alleged in a new court filing that "Trump did more than violate classified documents laws — he also tried to get his attorney to take part in his crimes."
The document read, "When presented with a grand jury subpoena demanding the return of the remaining documents bearing classification markings, Trump attempted to enlist his own attorney in the corrupt endeavor, suggesting that he falsely tell the FBI and grand jury that Trump did not have any documents, and suggesting that his attorney hide or destroy documents rather than produce them to the government."
United States District Judge Aileen Cannon on Tuesday handed special counsel Jack Smith a win in Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago classified documents case. The Guardian's Hugo Lowell reports via X (formerly Twitter), "Just in: US Judge Cannon in the Trump classified docs case grants Special Counsel’s...
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oof.