The prosecutor investigating the mishandling of confidential documents by the former president donald trump (2017-2021) after leaving the White House He has until this Saturday to deliver documentation to the Republican’s defense that would reveal the identity of witnesses in the case.
The special prosecutor Jack Smith has asked the federal judge Aileen Cannonin charge of this criminal case against trump in the south of Floridato reconsider this Friday’s ruling that would allow the defense of trump publicly reveal the identities of witnesses and their testimonies in court.
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Smith argues that revealing the names could expose these witnesses to “significant and immediate risks of threats, intimidation and harassment”, and that there are not sufficient reasons to make their identities public.
The prosecutors in charge of the investigation have asked Cannon to protect the identities of several witnesses involved when considering that there is “intolerable and unnecessary risks” if their names were revealed before the trial.
Previously, the judge, who plans to hold the trial starting on next May 20had allowed that information to not be available to the defense or the public.
Cannon was nominated in 2020 by the former president trumpwho is expected to be the Republican candidate for the presidential elections next November.
In addition to the case in Florida, trump faces three other criminal charges, two of them related to the “big lie” that promoted the alleged electoral fraud in the 2020 elections in which he lost to the president Biden.
The Republican is accused of trying to manipulate the election results in Georgia and in addition to intervening to reverse the electoral results in a case related to the assault on the Capitol.
He is also accused in NY of illegal payments to the porn actress Stormy Daniels during his presidential campaign.
The trial in Floridawhich is expected to last two weeks, will be held in a federal court in Fort Pierceto the north of Miami.
