WASHINGTON — A tentative date of Aug. 14 has been set for the start of former President Donald Trump's trial on federal charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate.
Trump, who is accused of being careless with some of the country’s most sensitive secrets and obstructing authorities as they tried to recover critical documents, pleaded not guilty to 37 charges last week.
According to multiple media reports, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon posted a new scheduling order on Tuesday that revealed Aug. 14, 2023 as the tentative start date for the trial.
However, the Aug. 14 date is not set in stone and will likely shift back further.
The order also said proceedings in the case will take place in Fort Pierce, Florida, not in Miami where Trump's initial court appearance occurred.
Trump is accused of keeping documents related to “nuclear weaponry in the United States” and the “nuclear capabilities of a foreign country,” along with documents from White House intelligence briefings, including some that detail the military capabilities of the U.S. and other countries, according to the indictment. Prosecutors alleged Trump showed off the documents to people who did not have security clearances to review them and later tried to conceal documents from his own lawyers as they sought to comply with federal demands to find and return documents.
The top charges carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
After leaving office in 2021, the former president showed someone working for his political action committee a map that detailed a military operation in a foreign country, prosecutors allege in the document. On another occasion that year, Trump showed a writer, a publisher and two of his staffers — none of whom had security clearances — a military plan of attack.