(LifeSiteNews) — The trial for former U.S. President Donald Trump in relation to his handling of classified documents has been scheduled to take place in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on August 14. Hearings will be held in Fort Pierce, Florida.
Trump-appointed federal judge Aileen M. Cannon scheduled the trial in a six-page omnibus order setting the trial date as well as pretrial and sentencing procedures.
“This case is hereby set for a Criminal Jury Trial during the two-week period commencing August 14, 2023, or as soon thereafter as the case may be called,” Cannon wrote in the order, which was entered into the docket June 20. “A Calendar Call will be held at 1:45 p.m. on August 8, 2023.”
The trial date is open to modification by the prosecution and the defense, however, meaning the actual trial could take place much later.
The first U.S. president in history to face federal charges from the Department of Justice, Trump pleaded not guilty on June 13 to 37 felony charges pertaining to his alleged mishandling of classified documents. FBI agents previously carried out an unprecedented raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida last summer to retrieve the files.
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Thirty-one of the 37 charges concern the willful retention of national defense information, while the remaining six include making false statements, corruptly concealing documents or records, and conspiracy to obstruct justice, The Daily Wire reported.
Most Republicans have condemned the charges against Trump as the political weaponization of the federal government, selective prosecution of political opponents, and an attack on the democratic process in the lead-up to an election year, LifeSiteNews previously noted.
Many, including Trump, have also pointed out that politicians including Joe Biden and Mike Pence have also improperly handled classified documents and yet have not been prosecuted by the DOJ. Officials are reportedly still investigating Biden’s treatment of classified documents, which reportedly included storing some in a garage next to his Corvette.
For his part, Trump has blasted his indictment on felony charges as “ridiculous and baseless” and predicted it “will go down as among the most horrific abuses of power in the history of our country.”
If found guilty of the charges lodged against him, Trump could face a sentence of dozens of years of prison. However, analysts have pointed out that even a guilty verdict and imprisonment would not preclude Trump from continuing to run for office — meaning he could theoretically become the Republican nominee, win the 2024 presidential election, and pardon himself.