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Former President Donald Trump Appears In Florida Court For Classified Documents Case Hearing

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Former U.S. President Trump's classified documents case hearing in Fort Pierce

Former President Trump Appears In Fort Pierce Courtroom For Federal Classified Documents Case

Former President Donald Trump Appears In Fort Pierce Courtroom For Federal Classified Documents Case

US former President Trump attends court hearing in Fort Pierce, Florida, Usa - 01 Mar 2024

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Special counsel Jack Smith has sent a letter to a Trump Organization employee indicating that the worker could be indicted in connection with allegedly trying to obstruct the investigation into Donald Trump’s possession of classified documents after leaving office, a person with knowledge of the matter said.

The target letter is aimed at a low-level employee of Trump’s family business who had dealings at Mar-a-Lago, the former president’s Florida home and private club. The worker is not an executive or someone with significant decision-making authority, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

The Trump Organization manages Mar-a-Lago as well as Trump’s other properties, including the security systems. One focus of the classified-documents investigation has been surveillance video from Mar-a-Lago, which federal investigators subpoenaed and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/07/05/trump-classified-affidavit-unsealed-nauta-boxes/" target=_blank>showed workers moving boxes in and out of the storage area</a> where documents with classified markings were kept.

The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/05/30/trump-mar-a-lago-surveillance-camera/" target=_blank>reported in May</a> that authorities were examining events in mid-July 2022 involving the subpoena for footage from security cameras on the property. Around that time, Trump employees allegedly had conversations about how the cameras worked and how long images remained stored in the system, a person familiar with that aspect of the investigation said this spring.

The employees were later interviewed by investigators, people familiar with the situation have said.

The surveillance footage provided key information in the 38-count indictment against Trump and his longtime aide, Waltine “Walt” Nauta, which alleges the former president took documents from the White House to his Florida home that contained the country’s most protected secrets. With Nauta’s help, the indictment says, Trump intentionally tried to hide the materials from federal officials when they sought to get them back.

Nauta, according to court documents, was caught on video moving boxes before and after he was questioned by the FBI.

Both Trump and Nauta have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

The target letter, which was first reported by ABC, involves an additional potential defendant, indicating the investigation — which has involved grand jury activity in both Washington and South Florida — remains active. A spokesman for Smith declined to comment Friday.

Attorney General Merrick Garland <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/11/18/justice-trump-garland-special-counsel/" target=_blank>appointed </a>Smith to oversee both the criminal probe of Trump’s possible mishandling of classified documents and a separate investigation into efforts by Trump and his allies to undo the results of the 2020 election.

How government rules for classified papers could help Trump delay his trial

Federal prosecutors and Trump’s legal team are expected to make their first appearance in front of the South Florida judge assigned to oversee the classified-documents trial Tuesday afternoon. The procedural hearing in Judge Aileen Cannon’s courtroom in Fort Pierce, Fla., will probably discuss the logistics involved in a case that uses classified government documents as evidence.

It’s also possible that Cannon will address competing motions by Trump’s lawyers and the prosecution team regarding the possible timeline for an eventual trial.

Cannon has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/06/20/trump-trial-date/?itid=lk_inline_manual_11" target=_blank>set a window for the trial to begin in the third or fourth week of August</a>. But that time frame is considered a placeholder, as are most trial dates set in her court district shortly after an indictment. Federal prosecutors have proposed holding the trial in December, which would be before the start of the 2024 primary contests, in which Trump is vying for the Republican nomination to return to the White House.

Trump’s legal team <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/07/11/trump-seeks-trial-delay/" target=_blank>has suggested that the trial should not be held until after the presidential election</a> to ensure an impartial jury.

Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, MS

Montclair State University, BA in History

Shayna Jacobs is a federal courts and law enforcement reporter on the national security team at The Washington Post, where she covers the Southern and Eastern districts of New York. 

Shayna Jacobs

Washington University in St. Louis, BA

Perry Stein covers the Justice Department and FBI for The Washington Post. She previously covered D.C. education. Before she joined The Post in 2015, she was a staff writer for Washington City Paper and wrote for the Miami Herald. 

Perry Stein

Target letter for Trump Organization employee in classified documents case

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