Judge denies government’s request to seal list of witnesses in Trump documents case

WASHINGTON – The federal judge overseeing former president Donald Trump’s prosecution on

charges of illegally holding on to sensitive national security documents

denied on Monday the government’s request to keep secret a list of witnesses with whom Trump has been barred from discussing his case.

The ruling by Judge Aileen Cannon, in the Southern District of Florida, means that some or all of the list of 84 witnesses could at some point become public, offering further details about the shape and scope of the

case that special counsel Jack Smith has brought against Trump

.

The government’s request to keep the names of the witnesses secret “does not offer a particularised basis to justify sealing the list from public view”, Judge Cannon wrote in her brief order.

“It does not explain why partial sealing, redaction or means other than sealing are unavailable or unsatisfactory, and it does not specify the duration of any proposed seal.”

One of the conditions that a federal magistrate judge placed on Trump when he walked free from his arraignment in June was a provision prohibiting him from

discussing the facts in his indictment

with any witnesses in the case.

The indictment accused Trump of

wilfully retaining 31 individual national security documents

and obstructing the government’s repeated efforts to reclaim them.

While the identities of the witnesses remain unknown, many of them are believed to be aides and advisers close to Trump – among them, several who work or worked with him at

Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Florida

.

As part of the conditions the magistrate judge imposed, Trump was also barred from discussing the case with his co-defendant, Walt Nauta, who remains his personal aide.

Mr Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mr Smith, did not respond to messages seeking comment.

In a separate order issued on Monday, Judge Cannon asked Trump’s legal team to respond by July 6 to Mr Smith’s request to delay the start of the trial until Dec 11.

Judge Cannon also scheduled a hearing for July 14 for the parties to discuss how to handle the significant amount of highly sensitive material involved in the case under a law known as the Classified Information Procedures Act. That hearing will be conducted mostly, if not entirely, under seal. NYTIMES