Judge Aileen Cannon of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida is scheduled to hold a hearing in regards to the U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith’s funding of his investigations into former President Trump’s handling of classified records.
The trial, initially postponed, comes from Smith’s investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents following his presidential leave.
Friday’s hearing will feature arguments from Trump’s defense team, federal prosecutors, and former Attorney General Ed Meese.
Meese has been open in his belief that Attorney General Merrick Garland’s appointment of Smith, a private citizen at the time, back in 2022 violates the Constitution.
Meese goes on to say that this is unlawful and Smith lacks authority when it comes to such important matters of the United States.
Garland defended his decision during a Capitol Hill hearing, to which Meese continued to insist that it was unlawful. This Friday, Messe’s arguments will be presented by Gene Schaerr. These same arguments were also used in the Supreme Court case concerning Trump’s presidential immunity.
Trump is currently in the midst of charges from Smith’s investigation, including willful retention of national defense information and obstruction of justice. He has pleaded not guilty to both counts. This investigation also includes the infamous 2022 FBI raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
However, last month, Cannon postponed the trial after seeing the documents related to the FBI’s investigation. These documents reportedly showed evidence of Attorney General Garland involvement.
Additionally, Smith and federal prosecutors have since admitted that documents seized during the Mar-a-Lago raid were not in their original order, which goes against their prior statements. This, and many other reasons, has led House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan to investigate potential evidence tampering.
Smith has also charged Trump with election fraud and the responsibility for the January 6 Capitol riots, to which Trump has continually pleaded not guilty. This trial has been postponed due to the Supreme Court plan to rule on presidential immunity.
