Trial date set in Trump’s classified documents case
Jul 21, 2023, 2:00 PM | Updated: 2:36 pm
FILE - Former President Donald Trump arrives at a rally, Aug. 5, 2022, in Waukesha, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)
(AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)
SALT LAKE— A date is set for former President Donald Trump’s classified documents trial.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has assigned a pretrial hearing date of May 14, 2024 and the full trial will begin May 20, 2024.
This date lands right in the middle of the presidential race, as well as primary elections in many states including Nebraska, Maryland and West Virginia.
“I would assume this trial is probably going to be set for two or three weeks. I mean, there is a lot of information,” said KSL legal analyst Greg Skordas.
Hours of surveillance footage and tens of thousands of documents need to be examined in preparation by the defense before trial.
“You’d hope that both sides would put on a very strong case, and to do that, I would say at least two or three weeks,” says Skordas.
The evidence and jury
In August 2022, the FBI raided Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago, Fla., and seized 102 documents with classified markings.
Skordas said that much of the evidence turned over to the defense will be shown to the jury and public.
“If the government’s putting on a case, it’s decided that the evidence is going to be admissible.”
This trial is a passionate issue for US citizens on both sides of the political spectrum, and finding a non-biased jury will be a critical step leading up to the hearing.
Potential jury members will need to be vetted during the jury colloquy before being officially selected to hear the trial.
“If you get enough people who are willing to be fair, who are willing to set aside any prejudices that they have, or any biases that they have, or any pre-conceived notions, you can get a fair jury,” states Skordas.
Skordas says he believes they will be able to find a fair jury on this case.
Biden and Clinton classified document history
Trump is not the only government official possessing classified documents over the last several years.
On four occasions, classified documents were found at President Joe Biden’s Washington, D.C., office and several private residences.
These documents were found beginning in November 2022 through January 2023.
A special council was assigned to oversee the investigation. The council has yet to interview Biden, although the president has stated he is “cooperating fully and completely” with the Justice Department.
In 2015, an official FBI investigation was initiated to investigate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton regarding “unauthorized transmission and storage of classified information” found on her personal e-mail server.
There were several dozen emails found containing confidential and top-secret information.
The investigation found no persuasive evidence of deliberate mishandling of classified documents.
