The judge presiding over former President Donald Trump's classified documents case granted a partial victory Tuesday, granting federal prosecutors' request to keep the names of government witnesses confidential in a months-long dispute.
The 24-page order from U.S. District Judge Eileen reconsiders an earlier order that the government argued could lead to the public identification of more than 20 potential government witnesses in the Florida case. It was issued in response to a request from Special Counsel Jack Smith.
Under Cannon's new order, the names of potential witnesses will be redacted, but key parts of their statements to investigators may be made public.
Mr. Cannon addressed Mr. Smith's safety concerns for potential witnesses by redacting personally identifying information and said Mr. It will no longer be necessary to approve “large-scale demands.”
She also criticized Smith in her order, arguing that his claims and evidence should have been brought forward sooner.
“While the record is clear that the special counsel could have and should have raised the current allegations previously, the court fully considered the new allegations and We have chosen to reconsider our previous order,” Cannon said.
A spokesperson for Mr. Smith's office declined to comment on the order, instead pointing to the special counsel's court filing on the matter. Trump's lawyers did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday night.
The issue surrounding the redactions comes after Mr. Trump's team argued that the Biden administration and parts of the intelligence community should be considered part of Mr. It first surfaced when I asked for permission to submit a version that does not exist.
Mr. Trump's team attached evidence to a sealed version of the motion, including the names and statements of potential government witnesses. Smith opposed President Trump's request to release the motion, which contained personally identifying information.
In March, Mr. Cannon heard argument on Mr. Smith's motion to reconsider his previous order regarding the release of the names of potential government witnesses, arguing that it would lead to witnesses being intimidated and harassed.
“This is not a hypothetical concern,” David Harbach, an attorney on the special counsel team, said at a hearing last month. “That’s a real concern and they know it.”
One of Trump's lawyers, Emile Bove, countered that they were “not here to harm people or harass anyone.” Rather, Trump's lawyers argued during the hearing that they included witness information to support their case.
A public version of Trump's discovery motion and accompanying exhibits will be released by April 22, according to Cannon's order. The lawsuit focuses on allegations that President Trump mishandled classified documents, and a trial date has not yet been set.
President Trump is accused of knowingly retaining national defense information and participating in a program to remove security videos. The former president faces more than 30 charges, all of which he has pleaded not guilty to.
This case is one of four criminal indictments against President Trump. He also faces charges related to charges of conspiring to defraud the United States by working to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and falsifying business records related to hush-money payments to adult film stars. is also facing. He also pleaded not guilty to all these charges.
