Trump's lawyers want classified documents charges dropped
Newsy
His lawyers will argue that the former president could designate government documents as personal.
Former President Donald Trump is expected to return to a federal courtroom Thursday in a felony case involving his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office. During Thursday's hearing, Trump's lawyers will ask to have charges dismissed that he illegally retained top secret government documents after leaving the White House.
Trump's lawyers will argue that the Presidential Records Act of 1978 gave him the authority to designate government records as personal and to keep them after he left office.
Special counsel Jack Smith says the documents law does not apply to classified material.
The Department of Justice said that on Jan. 17, 2022, Trump provided 15 boxes containing 197 documents after the National Archives demanded he turn over records. On June 3, 2022, the DOJ said Trump’s attorneys handed over 38 additional classified documents. Then on Aug. 8, 2022, federal officials issued a search warrant. The DOJ said the warrant turned up 102 additional documents with classified markings.
The indictment alleges that Trump kept classified documents in a ballroom, in bathrooms and in showers at Mar-a-Lago. It also says that on at least two occasions Trump showed documents to individuals who were unauthorized to view classified documents.
