Trump attends closed hearing at federal court in Florida for classified documents case

Former President Donald Trump made a high-profile appearance Monday morning at a federal courthouse in Florida for a closed hearing in his criminal case concerning the mishandling of classified documents. The purpose of the hearing was to discuss the procedures for the handling of classified evidence in the case, which is currently slated for trial on May 20.

Trump is confronted with numerous felony counts alleging that he unlawfully retained highly classified records at his Mar-a-Lago estate and impeded FBI efforts to retrieve them.

Hearing schedule and sessions

The day's schedule included arguments from defense lawyers in the morning and prosecutors in the afternoon, with each session taking place outside the presence of the other. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has called for the defense counsel to present detailed discussions of their defense theories and how any classified information might be pertinent or beneficial to the defense.

Trump's motorcade arrived at the courthouse in Fort Pierce shortly after 9 a.m., marking one of several voluntary court appearances that he has made in recent weeks. This appearance comes as Trump strives to convey to his supporters his intention to contest the four criminal prosecutions he faces, while concurrently aiming to secure a bid for the White House this November.