Judge Cannon skeptical of defense’s argument in Trump’s classified documents case

Donald Trump was present at a hearing in Florida on Thursday for his classified documents case, but he said nothing in his own defense, allowing his legal team to present a number of arguments on his behalf that Judge Aileen Cannon didn’t seem to be buying.

According to NBC News‘ blow-by-blow coverage, Cannon “appeared skeptical” of Trump’s lawyers’ pushing for the case to be dismissed based on the Presidential Records Act, with attorney Todd Blanche arguing that “presidents since George Washington have taken materials out of the White House” at “their own discretion,” to which the judge responded with, “It’s difficult to see how this gets you to the dismissal of an indictment.” And when Blanche tried to blame the case on the National Archives and Records Administration, Cannon shot that down as “a red herring.”

“NARA is not sitting at the table over there,” Cannon added regarding the above, saying she will be ruling on the motions “promptly.”

Trump, who faces 40 criminal charges related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents, commented on the hearing via a post to Truth Social, writing, “Big crowds in Fort Pierce, Florida, for the Biden induced Witch Hunt against his political opponent, ME! Thank you, a great honor to have you there. Such a thing has never happened in our Country before – Strictly Third World. BUT, WE WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”