Special counsel Jack Smith has made serious allegations that close aides of former President Donald Trump obstructed the Justice Department's investigation into his alleged mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. These allegations will face a significant test during a hearing scheduled for Friday.
Judge Aileen Cannon, overseeing the criminal case in a Florida federal court, will assess the validity of the charges against Trump's co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, during the hearing set to commence at 2 pm ET.
While Judge Cannon will not address any of Trump's requests for case dismissal on Friday, her response to the co-defendants' arguments regarding the obstruction charges is expected to influence how Trump proceeds with his defense as the presumptive Republican nominee in the 2024 presidential election.
Trump and his supporters have contended that he is facing selective prosecution by the Biden administration. On the other hand, Smith and his supporters argue that Trump's alleged attempts to obstruct the investigation into classified documents taken from the Trump White House set this case apart from previous instances where former presidents and vice presidents were investigated for handling sensitive government materials.
