Former President Donald Trump attended a closed-door hearing in Florida regarding classified documents criminal case.
The hearing, held in a secure facility, involves deliberation on whether prosecutors should be allowed to withhold or redact specific classified documents.
“Here, however, Trump is a unique defendant in that he had lawful access to this information at the time he received it while president of the United States,” former U.S. Attorney Barb McQuade said.
“The question here is whether he unlawfully retained it after his presidency ended, and whether he obstructed the investigation.”
The judge’s decision to permit Trump and his lawyers to view highly classified materials privately is considered irresponsible and favorable to Trump.
“Judge Cannon’s agreeing to let Trump and his lawyers view these documents privately, with her but without prosecutors present, is highly unusual and irresponsible,” former New York prosecutor Bennett Gershman said.
Trump and his lawyers viewing these documents “needs to be made as secure as possible to prevent disclosure and dissemination,” Gershman said.
“Also, in a closed-door session with a judge who has already made many unduly favorable rulings for Trump, the defense may be able to influence the judge as to which documents they feel are prejudicial to their case, or even helpful to their case, which the judge likely may agree with,” Gershman said.
“Trump’s strategy is twofold,” former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani said. “Delay until after November in the hope that he wins the presidency. And pressure the government to admit classified documents in their unredacted form in the hope that they decide not to move forward with certain categories of evidence. This is a defense strategy known as ‘graymail.’”
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