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Judge denies motion to dismiss charges against Trump in documents case

Published

2 years ago

March 15, 2024

Press Room

Judge denies motion to dismiss charges against Trump in documents case

Former President Donald Trump waves to supporters as he leaves federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, Fla., on Thursday.

Wilfredo Lee/AP

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Wilfredo Lee/AP

Former President Donald Trump waves to supporters as he leaves federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, Fla., on Thursday.

Wilfredo Lee/AP

A federal judge has denied a motion by former President Donald Trump to dismiss the charges in one of the criminal indictments he’s facing. Trump is accused of withholding and concealing classified and top-secret documents that he took to Florida from the White House and then lying about it to investigators.

At a hearing Thursday in Fort Pierce, Fla., U.S District Judge Aileen Cannon heard two motions for dismissal and quickly dispensed with one of them.

Trump was challenging a statute, part of the Espionage Act, that he is charged with violating, arguing that the wording of the statute is unconstitutionally vague. In court Thursday, Trump lawyer Emil Bove said there are questions about what it means to have “unauthorized possession.” As president, Bove says, Trump could have given himself authorization to take these documents to his Mar-a-Lago residence and club.

Sen. Rand Paul wants to repeal the Espionage Act amid the Mar-a-Lago investigation

Will the timing of the Supreme Court's Trump case mean no trial before the election?

In their arguments before the court, prosecutors told Judge Cannon the meaning of the statute is clear. They say the former president lost his authorization to view classified material when he left the White House.

Bove also said it’s not clear what the statute means when it talks about documents “relating to the national defense.” Prosecutors again maintained it is clear and that it includes anything that’s labeled classified or top secret.

Trump’s lawyers also told the judge they believe the prosecution of their client is arbitrary and politically motivated. Bove cited other cases where President Biden, former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were found to have taken classified documents. Prosecutors say in those cases, the documents were quickly returned and there was no effort to obstruct or hide them from investigators.

Cannon seemed skeptical of the defense arguments and issued an order denying the motion just a couple of hours after the hearing ended. In court, she made the point that the vagueness claim raised by Trump has come up in many other cases before and that no judge has ever found the statute unconstitutional.

In her order, Cannon said that “rather than prematurely decide now,” she was denying the motion so it could be “raised as appropriate in connection with jury-instruction briefing and/or other appropriate motions.”

Cannon hasn’t taken action yet on the second motion argued Thursday. In that one, Trump’s lawyers argued that the Presidential Records Act allowed the former president to take the boxes of documents to Mar-a-Lago. They say that law allows presidents to retain personal documents. By taking them to Mar-a-Lago rather than sending them to the National Archives, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche said Trump was effectively designating them as personal.

Prosecutors rejected that argument. They told Cannon that the Presidential Records Act has nothing to do with this prosecution. The applicable law, they say, is a statute in the Espionage Act. The judge seemed to agree, telling Blanche his motion would require her to rule that the Presidential Records Act invalidates the Espionage Act.

In addition, prosecutors say, the documents taken by Trump were presidential, not personal material. They say they will show Trump “willfully” took the documents even though he knew he couldn’t legally do so because they were classified.

In court Thursday, Justice Department lawyer Jay Bratt cited a conversation Trump is said to have had with a publisher and book author in 2021 in which he showed them a copy of an attack plan for Iran. The indictment states that Trump told them, “See, as President, I could have declassified it. Now I can’t, but this is still secret.”

Trump's trial over classified documents in Florida could start as soon as this summer

Judge Cannon has yet to set a new schedule for the trial, which was to have begun in May.

Prosecutors want the trial to start in July. But there are several other motions pending beside the two heard Thursday and numerous issues involving the use of classified material at trial that will likely further delay the proceedings. Trump and his lawyers are asking Cannon to delay the start until next year, after the November presidential election.

News

Map: Earthquake Shakes Central California

Published

4 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Map: Earthquake Shakes Central California

Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 3 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “weak,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown. All times on the map are Pacific time. The New York Times

A minor earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 3.5 struck in Central California on Monday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The temblor happened at 7:17 a.m. Pacific time about 6 miles northwest of Pinnacles, Calif., data from the agency shows.

As seismologists review available data, they may revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude. Additional information collected about the earthquake may also prompt U.S.G.S. scientists to update the shake-severity map.

Source: United States Geological Survey | Notes: Shaking categories are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. When aftershock data is available, the corresponding maps and charts include earthquakes within 100 miles and seven days of the initial quake. All times above are Pacific time. Shake data is as of Monday, March 2 at 10:20 a.m. Eastern. Aftershocks data is as of Monday, March 2 at 11:18 a.m. Eastern.

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US says Kuwait accidentally shot down 3 American jets

Published

6 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

US says Kuwait accidentally shot down 3 American jets

The U.S. and Israel have been conducting strikes against targets in Iran since Saturday morning, with the aim of toppling Tehran’s clerical regime. Iran has fired back, with retaliatory assaults featuring missiles and drones targeting several Gulf countries and American bases in the Middle East.

“All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition. Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation,” Central Command said.

“The cause of the incident is under investigation. Additional information will be released as it becomes available,” it added.

In a separate statement later Monday, Central Command said that American forces had been killed during combat since the strikes began.

“As of 7:30 am ET, March 2, four U.S. service members have been killed in action. The fourth service member, who was seriously wounded during Iran’s initial attacks, eventually succumbed to their injuries,” it said.

Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing. The identities of the fallen are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification,” Central Command added.

This story has been updated.

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Satellite images provide view inside Iran at war

Published

19 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Satellite images provide view inside Iran at war

Smoke rises over Konarak naval base in southern Iran on Sunday. The base was one of hundreds of targets of U.S. and Israeli forces throughout the country.

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Planet Labs PBC

Commercial satellite images are providing a unique look at the extent of damage being done to Iran’s military facilities across the country.

The U.S. and Israeli military campaign opened with a daytime attack that struck Iranian leadership in central Tehran. Smoke was still visible rising from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s compound following the attack that killed the supreme leader.

An image by the company Airbus taken on Saturday shows the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Iran’s Leadership House in central Tehran. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening wave of attacks.

Pléiades Neo (c) Airbus DS 2026

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Pléiades Neo (c) Airbus DS 2026

Israel and the U.S. have gone on to strike targets across the country. Reports on social media indicate that there have been numerous military bases and compounds attacked all over Iran, and Iran has responded with attacks throughout the Middle East.

U.S. forces have also been striking at Iran’s navy. In a post on his social media platform, President Trump said that he had been briefed that U.S. forces had sunk nine Iranian naval vessels. U.S. Central Command did not immediately confirm that number but it did say it had struck an Iranian warship in port.

An image captured on February 28 shows a ship burning at Iran's naval base at Konarak.

An image captured on Saturday shows a ship burning at Iran’s naval base at Konarak.

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Numerous satellite images show burning vessels at Konarak naval base in southern Iran. Images also show damage to a nearby airbase where hardened hangers were struck by precision munitions.

Hardened aircraft shelters at Konarak airbase were struck with precision munitions.

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And there was extensive damage at a drone base in the same area. Iran has launched numerous drones and missiles toward Israel and U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Many drones have been intercepted but videos on social media show that some have evaded air defenses and caused damage in nearby Gulf countries. In Dubai, debris from an Iranian drone damaged the iconic Burj Al Arab, according to a statement from Dubai’s government.

Buildings at an Iranian drone base at Konarak were destroyed in the strikes.

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Iran’s most powerful weapons are its long-range missiles. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards have hidden the missiles deep inside mountain tunnels. Images taken Sunday in the mountains of northern Iran indicate that some of those tunnels were hit in a wave of strikes.

Following Khamenei’s death, Iran declared 40 days of mourning. Satellite images showed mourners gathering in Tehran’s Enghelab square on Sunday.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told NPR on Sunday that Iran will continue to fight “foreign aggression, foreign domination.”

A White House official told NPR that Trump plans to talk to Iran’s interim leadership “eventually,” but that for now, U.S. operations continue in the region “unabated.”

A large crowd of mourners fill Enghelab Square in Tehran on Sunday, following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

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