In a recent development in the federal criminal classified documents case against Donald Trump and his two co-defendants in Florida, District Judge Aileen Cannon has denied efforts to dismiss nearly 10 of the 41 charges in the indictment against them on technical grounds. However, she did agree with the defendants that some language in the indictment was “legally unnecessary” and ruled that one paragraph would be removed.
One small victory for the defense came as Cannon rejected prosecutors’ rationale for including a paragraph detailing an episode in which Trump allegedly showed a classified map to an unnamed representative of his political organization. Prosecutors had cited a procedural rule allowing evidence related to uncharged conduct, but Cannon insisted that such evidence should undergo pretrial litigation before being admitted.
In her ruling, Cannon criticized the prosecutors for their use of a “speaking indictment,” which goes beyond legal requirements and provides a fuller narrative of the allegations. She emphasized the risks of including extensive narratives in charging documents, especially in cases of significant public interest.
Despite other technical issues raised by Trump and his co-defendants, including duplicity concerns, the judge found that these identified deficiencies were either permitted by law or raised evidentiary challenges not appropriate for resolution at this stage. Cannon also stated that as long as the jury is appropriately instructed and given adequate verdict forms, there should be no issue with the case moving forward.
