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The defense counsel for former President Donald Trump has until next Thursday to respond to a proposed trial schedule requested by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in his classified documents case, a federal judge ordered Monday.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon filed the paperless order three days after the DOJ requested that Trump's trial date be postponed until December 11. Cannon had originally set the two-week trial to begin on August 14, but federal prosecutors argue that the former president's legal team will need additional time in order to obtain security clearance to view the classified documents as part of the case.
Trump is facing 37 federal counts relating to willful retention of classified information and obstruction of justice as federal prosecutors allege the former president mishandled classified information upon leaving the White House in January 2021. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The former president's defense team, who is also representing Trump's aide and co-defendant Walt Nauta, has until July 6 to respond to the proposed trial timeline, Cannon ordered on Monday. The Trump appointee also scheduled a pretrial conference for July 14 to discuss the handling of classified documents during the trial, as requested by the Justice Department last week under the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA).
But a separate filing from Cannon also shut down one of the DOJ's requests from last Friday, which had asked the court to seal the list of 84 witnesses who testified before the special grand jury investigating Trump's handling of classified documents. According to Cannon, federal prosecutors failed to "explain why filing the list with the court is necessary" in their request and noted that "numerous" media outlets have argued against sealing the list of witnesses under the First Amendment.
"This case—the first prosecution of a former President of the United States—is one of the most consequential criminal cases in the Nation's history," read the media coalition's request filed on Monday, which is made up of the New York Times, CNN and the Associated Press, among other outlets.
As part of Trump's condition of release after appearing for his arraignment in Miami federal court earlier this month, the former president was instructed not to contact potential witnesses who may offer incriminating testimony against him unless it is through his legal team. The DOJ provided Trump's team with the first batch of evidence being used against him last week, which included a list of "grand jury testimony of witnesses who will testify for the government at the trial of this case," according to the government's discovery order.
Upon receiving the list of evidence, which also included multiple audio recordings or written statements of interviews Trump willfully conducted with "non-government entities," the former president called for Congress to investigate the "political witch hunt" set up against him by special counsel Jack Smith.
"CONGRESS, PLEASE INVESTIGATE THE POLITICAL WITCH HUNTS AGAINST ME CURRENTLY BEING BROUGHT BY THE CORRUPT DOJ AND FBI, WHO ARE TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL," the former president wrote in all caps last Thursday morning. "THIS CONTINUING SAGA IS RETRIBUTION AGAINST ME FOR WINNING AND, EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY TO THEM, ELECTION INTERFERENCE REGARDING THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION."
Newsweek previously reached out to Trump's press team via email for comment on the DOJ's proposed trial schedule. The Justice Department was contacted via email Monday for comment on Cannon's order.
About the writer
Kaitlin Lewis is a Newsweek reporter on the Night Team based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her focus is reporting on national ... Read more