Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump delivers a speech during the evening session on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention on July 21, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
The criminal trial ofDonald Trumpfor his alleged retention of classified documents (and what prosecutors say was a conspiracy to obstruct justice) has been scheduled for Aug. 14.
On Tuesday morning, a Florida federal judgescheduled the jury trial— which will be held in U.S. District Court in Fort Pierce — “during the two-week period commencing August 14, 2023, or as soon thereafter as the case may be called.”
It’s unclear, however, if the trial will actually begin on Aug. 14, as prosecutors and/or defense lawyers may still seek to file motions prior to that time which could delay the proceedings.
Trump, 77, is accused of 37 criminal offenses: 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information (a violation of the Espionage Act); one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice; one count of withholding a document or record; one count of corruptly concealing a document or record; one count of concealing a document in a federal investigation; one count of scheme to conceal; and one count of false statements and representations. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Each of the charges against the former president carry potential prison sentences, with the obstruction charges carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years per count. Violating the Espionage Act carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years, and both the conspiracy and false statements charges carry sentences of up to five years per offense.
In an unsealed, 38-count indictment, prosecutors allege Trump retained over 100 classified documents with some of the most sensitive topics originating from seven intelligence agencies, including the CIA, NSA and Department of Defense.
According to the indictment, documents about some of the most sensitive topics were stored in “a ballroom, a bathroom and shower, an office space, [Trump’s] bedroom, and a storage room,” all at Mar-a-Lago.
The indictment comes after theFBI conducted a searchat the former president’s Mar-a-Lago home on Aug. 8 as part of a criminal investigation that began after the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) revealed in February 2022 that officials had removed from the property15 boxes of documentsthat should have been handed over at the end of the Trump presidency.
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source: people.com
