New images present Trump's 'haphazard' storage of categorised paperwork, particular counsel says

Federal prosecutors in Donald Trump‘s classified documents case launched new images exhibiting what they known as the “haphazard method” during which Trump saved packing containers of paperwork that federal brokers later seized from Mar-a-Lago in August 2022.

The filing got here in response to Trump’s most up-to-date motion to dismiss the case that argued that the FBI brokers destroyed “exculpatory proof” by failing to maintain the paperwork in the identical order during which they discovered them.

Pointing to the images — a few of which present paperwork spilling onto the ground, whereas others present numerous objects reminiscent of clothes and newspapers within the packing containers — prosecutors stated Trump’s movement to dismiss needs to be denied and not using a listening to.

“In opposition to this backdrop of the haphazard method during which Trump selected to keep up his packing containers, he now claims that the exact order of the objects throughout the packing containers once they left the White Home was crucial to his protection,” prosecutors, led by Particular Counsel Jack Smith, wrote within the submitting submitted Monday night.

Prosecutors not solely pushed again on Trump’s declare that such an order existed, however additionally they argued that federal brokers “maintained the integrity of every container during which the proof was discovered, that’s, box-to-box integrity.”

“The FBI brokers who carried out the search did so professionally, completely, and thoroughly below difficult circumstances,” they wrote, “significantly given the cluttered state of the packing containers and the substantial quantity of extremely categorised paperwork Trump had retained.”

The previous president faces 40 federal criminal charges associated to his alleged retention of categorised authorities paperwork after his presidency ended, and efforts to maintain the paperwork away from federal authorities.

Whereas Trump’s trial was scheduled to begin Might 20, a federal choose indefinitely postponed that date final month. The Might 7 ruling from U.S. District Choose Aileen Cannon additionally added a slew of latest pretrial proceedings, making all of it however sure the probably nominee won’t stand trial earlier than the November election.

Cannon oversaw two hearings in the case on Monday in her Fort Pierce, Florida, courtroom, NBC Information reported.

The primary was on a separate protection movement to dismiss the case, which challenged the constitutionality of Smith’s appointment as particular prosecutor. The second listening to addressed a particular counsel request for a gag order on Trump.