The Justice Department on Friday took some action in the case against former President Donald Trump.
They filed a motion seeking to block former President Donald Trump from releasing any classified materials that the DOJ has to share with Trump’s legal team during the prosecution in the classified documents case.
The documents “include information pertaining to ongoing investigations” which could be used to further cases against uncharged individuals, the Department of Justice (DOJ) wrote.
The suggested protective order, which will be reviewed by Judge Bruce Reinhart, would allow Trump to review the 31 documents the DOJ is using in the case only while in the presence of his attorneys.
“Defendants shall only have access to Discovery Materials under the direct supervision of Defense Counsel or a member of Defense Counsel’s staff. Defendants shall not retain copies of Discovery Material. Defendants may take notes regarding Discovery Materials, but such notes shall be stored securely by Defense Counsel,” the DOJ wrote.
It’s similar to a motion they’ve filed in the New York defamation case from disclosing evidence.
The motion asks that the documents not be disclosed to the public or the news media, or “disseminated on any news or social media platform, without prior notice to and consent of the United States or approval of the Court.”
The motion was referred by Judge Aileen Cannon to Judge Bruce Reinhart, who approved the initial search of Mar-a-Lago.
Trump was arraigned in the matter earlier in the week in Miami on 37 counts. He entered a plea of not guilty to all the counts. He had hundreds of supporters come out to wish him well. Then he subsequently laid out part of what is likely to be his defense during remarks later in the day in Bedminster, New Jersey. He called it a political prosecution, and contrasted his prosecution with the lack of prosecution when it came to various Democrats, including Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden himself. He also pointed to the “Clinton socks case” for the case law that gives great leeway to the president regarding presidential records.
Meanwhile, the media including CNN and MSNBC has admitted to shutting down coverage of his defense and supporters showing him love—arguing variously that he might not tell the truth and/or that it was “dangerous.” Legal experts have pointed to some of the problems in the case, including allegations of improper action by one of the members of the Special Counsel’s team.
