The Justice Department’s bid to keep secret the list of 84 possible witnesses with whom former President Donald Trump is barred from discussing his historic federal criminal case was rejected by a court judge.
Judge Aileen Cannon found that prosecutors had failed to explain why the list had to be kept secret from the public.
However, in an order issued on Monday, she stated that the list may not have to be posted on the public docket at all, allowing the potential that those names will never be made public. Her order also grants the special counsel’s team the opportunity to resubmit its request.
In a federal court filing on Monday, a consortium of two dozen news organizations, including CBS News, contended that the list should be made public.
The news outlets’ attorneys stated that “full transparency—at every step of this historic case—is essential.”
“Without it, public confidence in the integrity of these proceedings specifically and the judicial system at large will suffer, perhaps irreversibly,” the coalition’s counsel stated.
On June 22, Trump was given the list. On June 13, during his arraignment in Miami, a court ordered that he not speak with certain prospective witnesses listed by prosecutors as a so-called special condition of his bond. He and his co-defendant, aide Waltine Nauta, have pleaded not guilty to felony allegations of mishandling confidential documents.
According to the attorneys for the alliance, the list is “a highly significant initial step in this extraordinary prosecution.”
“The list is not insignificant to the process or to the Defendant.” In reality, it symbolizes a turning point from the secrecy of the Grand Jury investigation to the public administration of justice involving the highest level of power in American government, together with the public Indictment,” they said.
A Tweet posted by the official account of The New York Times. You can also find out more information about Judge Rules Against Sealing Witness List in Trump Documents Case by reading the below tweet:-
The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s prosecution on charges of illegally holding on to sensitive national security documents denied the government’s request to keep secret a list of witnesses with whom Trump has been barred from discussing his case. https://t.co/kbK7vlLyWK
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 27, 2023
A special counsel prosecutor said in a June 23 motion to seal the list that the office had talked with Trump’s defense attorneys, who take “no position” on the topic but reserve “the right to object to the special condition and the manner in which it was implemented.”
Todd Blanche, Trump’s attorney, stated during Trump’s arraignment that he was opposed to the special condition.
“I don’t believe it’s necessary or appropriate in this case,” Blanche remarked.
The trial date in the case is currently set for Aug. 14, but the special counsel requested in a separate petition on June 23 that it be moved up nearly two months, to Dec. 11. According to the complaint, it could take up to 60 days for defense attorneys to gain the appropriate security clearances to access specific evidence in the case.
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