Witnesses in Trump classified documents case will remain secret, federal judge orders
CNN
A federal judge decided Tuesday that the names of potential witnesses in the classified documents case against Donald Trump will remain secret – resolving one of the issues that has created a logjam in the criminal case.
A federal judge decided Tuesday that the names of potential witnesses in the classified documents case against Donald Trump will remain secret – resolving one of the issues that has created a logjam in the criminal case. After months of arguing over what pieces of information in court filings should stay redacted, Judge Aileen Cannon agreed with special counsel Jack Smith’s office that releasing names and other identifying information could put them at risk. Cannon said the prosecution’s request for redactions was “sweeping in nature as applied to all potential government witnesses without differentiation,” but concluded that Smith’s team had proven that witness details needed to be protected “at least at this juncture.” The judge’s order will allow more records in the case to become public, and witnesses mentioned in the records will be referred to by pseudonyms, she said. But, Cannon said, witness statements can be used in the public filings — unless those statements would be identifying. Smith had strongly pushed back on a previous order from Cannon for transparency surrounding the identification of witnesses, pointing to fears of witness harassment. CNN previously reported that the potential witness list includes a number of low-level workers from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
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