In a recent development in the case of special counsel Jack Smith’s pursuit of classified documents against Donald Trump, Judge Aileen Cannon once again denied requests from Trump’s legal team to dismiss the charges.
Despite criticisms from Trump’s defense attorneys and co-defendants, Cannon rejected their claims, maintaining the integrity of the indictment while striking a single paragraph that contained unnecessary allegations.
The charges against Trump, which include unlawful retention of national defense information and obstruction of a federal probe, stem from the recovery of hundreds of classified documents from his time in the White House. Both Trump and his co-defendants, aide Walta Nauta and former Mar-a-Lago employee Carlos de Oliveira, have pleaded not guilty and refuted any wrongdoing.
Judge denies Trump’s dismissal request but removes one charge allegation.
In their bid to dismiss the charges, Trump, Nauta, and de Oliveira raised various arguments, including technical flaws in the indictment and lack of evidence showing their knowledge of the classified documents. However, Cannon ruled against these claims, asserting that the language in the indictment was legally permissible and could be addressed by the defense during trial.
While the judge’s ruling largely favored the special counsel, Cannon criticized the style of the indictment for containing “nonessential allegations,” describing it as more of a narrative than a legal document. Despite this critique, most of the indictment remained intact, with only one paragraph being struck due to its unnecessary nature.
Cannon’s recent order is consistent with her past criticisms of the special counsel’s handling of the case, including issues such as redacting witness names and professional conduct. As the case proceeds, Cannon is still deliberating on pretrial matters, with a trial date yet to be set.
Additionally, Trump faces separate federal charges in Washington, D.C., related to his alleged efforts to undermine the 2020 presidential election, with the case currently on hold pending Supreme Court deliberations on claims of presidential immunity.
