Aileen Cannon hears demands to drop obstruction charges for Trump's co-defendants

The judge overseeing Donald Trump's Florida classified documents criminal case is expected to determine Friday the validity of charges that say two of Trump's co-defendants obstructed the investigation into the case.

The co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, are accused of conspiring to help Trump hide documents at Mar-a-Lago and lying to FBI investigators about their actions.

Nauta, who worked as Trump’s personal valet, and De Oliveira, who has worked as property manager at Mar-a-Lago, have pleaded not guilty to obstruction, while Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Last year, Nauta and De Oliveira asked Judge Aileen Cannon to throw out the charges because, as they alleged, Special Counsel Jack Smith didn't meet the burden of proof to bring them, CNN reported.

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As CNN's report points out, Nauta claimed that his charges are too vague, and De Oliveira claimed he had "no clue" that the boxes he helped moved contained classified documents from Trump's time as president.

De Oliveira says the charges against him should be dropped since Smith hasn't been able to prove that his alleged lies to the FBI affected the investigation. Regarding Nauta's claim his charges are too vague, Smith said the case has “extensive allegations” of the “criminal conduct that Nauta is alleged to have undertaken.”

If their efforts to have the charges dismissed fail, Nauta and De Oliveira have asked Cannon "to order a document called a bill of particulars, in which prosecutors provide detailed descriptions of the offenses they plan to prove at trial," CNN's report stated.

According to Smith, the co-defendant's request reveal a “thinly veiled attempt to get the Government to disclose its trial strategy.”

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