Judge Aileen Cannon has issued an order clarifying rules for handling classified information in Donald Trump’s ongoing legal battle. The court battle is about government documents from his Mar-a-Lago estate. Some think this is a clear indication that Trump will lose the case.
As of June 2023, Donald Trump was facing 37 charges. All linked to his handling of classified documents following his exit from office. These charges included 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information.
It also included several other counts like conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding documents, and making false statements. These allegations came from an investigation led by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith.
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In August 2022, the FBI conducted a raid at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, recovering over 100 classified documents. Trump has been denying the allegations, pleading not guilty to all of them.
Judge Cannon, a U.S. District judge in Florida, recently clarified the status of classified documents in her recent order.
In her words. “All classified documents shall remain classified unless the documents or material bear a clear indication that they have been declassified by the agency or department that is the originating agency of the document.”
She says that classified documents will stay confidential until the relevant government agency officially declassifies them.
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Attorney Bradley Moss said, “This order largely sidestepped or outright rejected Mr. Trump’s rather preposterous requests for how he could access and discuss information currently identified by the government as classified.”
The Judge’s order allows the disclosure of classified information to Trump’s defense team, but only to aid the preparation of his defense. She hopes the measure will ensure that any sensitive information they become privy to is used responsibly and only for legal proceedings.
This is in light of Trump’s past poor handling of confidential documents. Legal experts, including attorney Ty Cobb, believe Judge Cannon’s order follows standard procedure in cases involving classified documents. They don’t think it should be considered a victory for any party.
Ty Cobb said: “I wouldn’t read that much into it in terms of rejecting Trump’s defense, but that’s always been the problem with Trump’s defense… it’s not consistent with what the law says.”
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As president, Trump said it was within his authority to declassify government materials, all at his discretion. Legal experts argue that this claim contradicts established legal principles, and now Judge Cannon’s order is challenging the claim.
Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg says that Judge Cannon’s order protects the classification of documents, insisting that they cannot be declassified without a clear directive.
Regarding Trump’s claim, Aronberg said, “Declassification via mental telepathy won’t cut it.” When asked if Cannon’s order could limit Trump’s power and legal position, Aronberg said, “She poured cold water on his claims to have declassified the documents absent a clear directive.”
Many people believe Trump will be in trouble unless he can prove he did not declassify any documents.
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