U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon denied former President Donald Trump’s motion to dismiss an indictment alleging he mishandled classified documents, based on the Presidential Records Act.
The Presidential Records Act defense was also argued at the March 14 hearing, with the judge expressing skepticism that the challenge was being brought in the appropriate form.
President Trump is being charged under a law that makes it illegal to have unauthorized possession of documents related to national defense. The Presidential Records Act does not make any mention of how national defense or classified information should be treated.
Judge Cannon had said that those arguments—which she interpreted as a dispute of facts—should be made in connection with jury instructions.
