A federal judge has denied former President Donald Trump’s request to dismiss the criminal case accusing him of illegally withholding classified documents.
Judge Eileen Cannon delivered the ruling just hours after a hearing where Trump’s attorneys argued that the indictment against him was unclear, Reuters reported.
Cannon, appointed to the bench by the former president, deemed in her decision that the issue warranted serious consideration but should not be decided upon at this time.
Trump’s legal team has filed five additional motions to dismiss the criminal case, which may be considered at future hearings yet to be scheduled.
Following the proceedings, Trump likened the ongoing prosecution against him to a witch hunt, purportedly inspired by President Joe Biden, on the social media platform Truth.
He also claimed a large number of supporters gathered outside the courthouse to show their backing.
The exact start date for the trial is still unknown.
Prosecutor Jack Smith previously requested the trial to commence in early July, while Trump proposed August—despite arguing that the trial should not take place before the November presidential elections.
The former US president has pleaded not guilty to the 40-count indictment accusing him of unlawfully taking classified government documents from the White House upon leaving office in 2021.
Trump, who has secured enough delegate votes for the Republican nomination in the upcoming presidential elections, faces several criminal proceedings.
He is charged before a federal court with attempting to overturn his electoral defeat to incumbent President Joe Biden in 2020. The case is currently on hold as the Supreme Court considers arguments from his legal team that Trump cannot be criminally prosecuted for actions taken during his presidential tenure.
The trial in the state of Georgia, where he is accused of election tampering, is under scrutiny as the judge considers replacing the prosecutor due to a romantic relationship with a member of his team.
The fourth case, in New York state, alleging secret payments to a pornographic actress, is scheduled to begin on March 25, but possibilities of postponement have been mentioned.
