Jack Smith presses Mar-a-Lago case judge to reverse decision permitting Trump to identify witnesses

Special counsel Jack Smith has asked the judge overseeing his prosecution of former President Donald Trump over his alleged mishandling of classified documents to reconsider a decision permitting Trump's legal team to publicly disclose the identities of key witnesses in the case.

Smith has charged Trump with a litany of counts related to his storage of materials at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The FBI raided the estate in August of 2022 before Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith.

At issue, the DOJ contends, is the prospect that said witnesses could face harassment should their identities and testimony become public, The Hill reported. The prosecutors asserted that Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, was wrong to permit the Trump team's request. The former president's attorneys sought the order to attach evidence from other court filings.

"That discovery material, if publicly docketed in unredacted form as the Court has ordered, would disclose the identities of numerous potential witnesses, along with the substance of the statements they made to the FBI or the grand jury, exposing them to significant and immediate risks of threats, intimidation, and harassment," Smith's team wrote, insisting that other witness in cases involving Trump have had comparable experiences upon the release of their identities.

Trump faces a second prosecution from Smith in D.C. over his efforts to challenge the 2020 election results. He also faces criminal charges from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, as well as multiple civil cases.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.