FORT PIERCE, Fla. – U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon will preside over the arguments regarding two of Donald Trump’s motions to dismiss the classified documents case against him. The hearing, scheduled for March 14, will allow Trump’s legal team and special counsel prosecutors to present their arguments on whether the charges against Trump should be dismissed based on the Presidential Records Act. They will also discuss the proposition that the main statute used against Trump is unconstitutionally vague with regards to presidents.
Trump is seeking to have the charges against him dropped after being accused of retaining and mishandling classified government documents upon leaving office and resisting efforts to retrieve them. In response, special counsel Jack Smith has urged Judge Cannon to reject Trump’s claims that his presidential records can be considered personal after leaving the White House. Smith cautioned that accepting this argument could have serious consequences, allowing a president to act with impunity, even committing murder or selling classified information, as long as they avoid impeachment and conviction.
Smith filed five briefs in response to Trump’s motions, countering his assertions that he is entitled to retain personal records under the Presidential Records Act, claiming immunity from prosecution because he was president at the time, alleging selective prosecution, and challenging the vagueness of the charges against him. Smith also highlighted Trump’s recurring efforts to delay the case as “transparent and persistent.”
Trump is facing multiple criminal charges including willful retention of national defense information, false statements and representations, conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, and corruptly concealing a document. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
The arguments will take place in Fort Pierce, Florida, on March 14, and the hearing will provide an opportunity for both sides to present their positions before the case proceeds to trial. Judge Cannon’s ruling on Trump’s motions to dismiss will significantly impact the trajectory of the legal proceedings against the former president.