Justice Department Makes Unexpected Move. Trump's Team Now Holds the Key

Photo byShealah Craighead/Official White House

Former President Donald Trump's lawyers are putting together a defense against accusations that he improperly retained sensitive papers, as Justice Department announced that it had started turning over evidence to them.

Transcripts of grand jury testimony from both Florida and Washington, copies of government-obtained closed-circuit television footage, and recordings of interviews with Trump "conducted by non-government entities, which were recorded with his consent and obtained" by the prosecution team of special counsel Jack Smith are among the evidence.

The indictment claims that during one of the interviews, which was audio-recorded in July 2021 at Trump's Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, he presented and discussed a Pentagon "plan of attack" that he said the Defense Department had prepared for him.

Trump's public remarks, mentioned in the indictment, have also been given to his attorneys.

Trump was charged with 37 felonies, including 31 counts under the Espionage Act that accuse him of willfully keeping secret information about national defense. He has entered a not-guilty plea and said he did nothing wrong.

In a court proceeding, parties frequently exchange information and evidence so that lawyers can formulate a defense.

Earlier this week, a federal magistrate issued a protective order to limit the public disclosure of the evidence that Trump obtains through the information-sharing procedure known as discovery.

The court in the case set an initial trial date of August 14, but given the complex debates that will arise regarding the nature of the case's evidence, that date is likely to slide significantly.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Trump's most prominent rival (excluding the American Justice System), has been publically defending Trump in his legal case and condemning the Justice Department.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is facing dozens of lawsuits at any given time. He's been involved in over 4,000 legal cases since the 1980s.

What do you think about the latest move from Justice Department?

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