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The judge in Donald Trump's classified documents case held a closed-door meeting with lawyers for his co-defendants in a secure room in Florida on Tuesday.
Judge Aileen Cannon had to hold the private meeting in the secure room because the parties discussed some of the highly confidential classified documents found in Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The room was set up in a federal court house in Fort Pierce, Florida.
The meeting, which lasted two hours and 15 minutes, was with lawyers for Trump's two co-accused, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, who are alleged to have moved boxes of classified documents at Trump's request when he was seeking to hide them from investigators. Nauta and De Oliveira were themselves not allowed to attend, as it involved discussion about the highly classified government documents.
Cannon also held a separate 55-minute meeting with the prosecutors in the case. The secure room has security features to ensure that nobody can bug it or listen in.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 40 federal charges of retaining classified materials and then obstructing federal attempts to retrieve them from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The frontrunner in the GOP primary denies all wrongdoing, and has repeatedly said that the charges are part of a politically motivated witch hunt to stop him winning the 2024 election. Nauta and De Oliveira have also pleaded not guilty.
Cannon filed a brief note on both hearings in the court record, without detailing what discussions took place.
It marked the second day of meetings in the secure room. On Monday, Donald Trump and his lawyers attended a separate meeting, with the prosecutors also present, to discuss the classified documents at the center of the case. Trump showed up, even though he was not required to attend. He was allowed to attend the closed-door meeting because, as president, he had knowledge of the documents' content.
She also met separately with Department of Justice lawyers on Monday.
Before Tuesday's meeting, Cannon filed an order stating that "cleared counsel shall be prepared to discuss the classified information produced in classified discovery in the context of the 'relevant and helpful' standard" and "present argument on the Special Counsel's request to withhold all of that information from Defendants Nauta and De Oliveira" and to "discuss specifics with respect to the current figures of materials produced in classified discovery, including whether any of that information overlaps with unclassified discovery and/or merits clarification."
"This hearing will be held in a facility suitable for the discussion of classified information," Cannon's order said.
Newsweek sought email comment from attorneys for Nauta, De Oliveira and Trump on Wednesday.
The court previously heard that the Department of Justice had set up two secure rooms in Florida where classified documents found at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate can be viewed by Trump's lawyers and by Smith and his team.
No cell phones are allowed inside.
About the writer
Sean O'Driscoll is a Newsweek Senior Crime and Courts Reporter based in Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. law. ... Read more