Trump gets additional hearing to challenge evidence in classified docs case
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The Alto Lee Adams Sr. United States Courthouse where U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is overseeing Trump's trial in Fort Pierce, Florida. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Judge Aileen Cannon is opening the floor once again for prosecutors and former President Trump's legal team to debate Trump's challenges to evidence presented in the case over his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
Why it matters: Cannon, who was appointed to the bench by Trump, has been the target of intense scrutiny for her handling of the slow-moving case, with critics suggesting she may deliberately be setting a crawling pace.
Driving the news: Cannon proposed a hearing in a Thursday filing in order to consider the former president's challenge to the FBI search warrant for Mar-a-Lago in 2022.
- In her ruling, she also signaled she would allow Trump's lawyers to question witnesses about the FBI search.
- In yet another back-and-forth over pushback from the former president on key evidence, Cannon wrote in the court filing that "further factual development is warranted" relating to Trump's evidence challenges.
- In her 11-page filing, Cannon seemingly responded to criticism from special counsel Jack Smith, writing, "This is not to say that the necessary evidentiary suppression hearing will devolve into a 'mini-trial,' as the Special Counsel suggests."
- "There is a difference between a resource-wasting and
delay-producing 'mini-trial,'" she added.
Zoom in: Smith and Cannon have gone head-to-head over the case's docket over the past year, with the DOJ-appointed prosecutor even going so far as to signal his intent to appeal to the 11th Circuit amid a disagreement over jury instruction deliberations.
Yes, but Cannon's Thursday ruling also denied Trump's calls for a hearing based on claims that false statements or omissions were made when crafting the search warrant.
Catch up: On Tuesday, prosecutors unveiled a trove of never-before-seen images from the FBI search of Trump's South Florida resort.
- The photos shared in court filings by the government showed documents haphazardly stored alongside holiday decorations, golf clothes and magazines.
The big picture: Cannon's newest move creates yet another step for prosecutors to climb in their case against the former president, which has been indefinitely delayed and is highly unlikely to go to trial before the November election where Trump is the presumptive GOP nominee.
- Cannon cited several outstanding pre-trial motions in her decision to postpone the trial.
What's next: Cannon set a July 5 deadline for both parties to file responses.
Go deeper: Trump defends judge in classified documents case — again
