Fort Pierce - Wednesday February 28, 2024: St. Lucie County Republican Executive Committee Chairman Kenny Nail has confirmed for WQCS that former president Trump will be back in Fort Pierce federal court this Friday, March 1, for his second, in person appearance in the classified documents case.
The Fort Pierce Police Department (FPPD) has issue a TRAFFIC ALERT for Friday advising that there will be "a heavy law enforcement presence" in the area of the federal courthouse at 101 South U.S. Route #1 in downtown Fort Pierce. "Please expect and be prepared for traffic delays on surrounding roadways and use alternate routes if possible," states the FPPD release.
U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon is holding a scheduling conference. She is expected to hear arguments over defense motions to delay the currently scheduled May 20th start date of the documents trial, as well as a defense motion to dismiss all 40 felony charges Trump is facing in the case.
Also to be heard are prosecution motions to seal or redact some of the top secret documents the defense received from the government during the discovery phase of the case.
In an order issued Tuesday, Judge Cannon set the start of the hearing at 10 a.m. Friday during which she has asked both sides to file their trial scheduling proposals, "taking into account all pending motions".
During the afternoon session she has directed each side to "be prepared (in the afternoon session) to present studied legal argument on the Special Counsel’s pending Motion for Reconsideration" of her previous ruling denying the government's motion to seal and/or redact documents to be presented at trial.
THE CASE
The Fort Pierce document case accuses Trump of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate and obstructing government efforts to retrieve them. A June 2023 alleges investigators found boxes of sensitive documents recklessly stored at Mar-a-Lago in spaces including a ballroom, a bathroom and shower, his bedroom and a storage room.
Prosecutors have said the documents he refused to return and, in some cases, showed to visitors, risked jeopardizing not only relations with foreign nations but also the safety of troops and confidential sources. In addition the ex-president is accused of attempting to deceive federal investigators by hiding some of the classified documents. They allege he asked staffers to move some of the documents from one place to another, and then to delete camera footage that showed those documents being moved.
The Fort Pierce documents case is one of four felony criminal cases the former president is facing as he vies to reclaim the White House in November.