Judge in Trump classified documents case sets preliminary trial date for Aug. 14

Former President Donald Trump’s trial on 37 federal felony counts is poised to begin on August 14, a judge announced Tuesday.

Federal Judge Aileen Cannon announced the preliminary court date Tuesday, but the final date for Trump’s trial is likely to change as the former president’s legal team is expected to request a delay. Trump has vowed to continue his 2024 presidential campaign despite his legal jeopardy.

Trump is accused of 37 counts, including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements. He has pled not guilty to the charges.

The announcement comes just after Trump defended his storage of classified documents and vowed to continue pursuing the 2024 Republican nomination in an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier on Tuesday.

EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP SAYS INDICTMENT IS ‘ELECTION INTERFERENCE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL’

In clips previewing the interview, Trump defended his reluctance to hand over the documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate while taking aim at National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) when pressed on details of the indictment by Baier.

“The only way NARA could ever get this stuff, this back would be [to say] please, please, please could we have it back,” Trump said. 

“They did ask for it,” the Fox News host responded.

“No, we were talking,” Trump interjected.

MARCO RUBIO WARNS US WILL PAY ‘TERRIBLE PRICE’ FOR TRUMP INDICTMENT: ‘YOU THINK THIS ENDS HERE?’

“They said can you give the documents back and then they went to the DOJ to subpoena you to give the documents back,” Baier replied.

Trump noted that they have “never” taken that course of action before with a former president.

“Why not just hand them over then?” Baier pressed.

“Because I had boxes. I want to go through the boxes and get my personal things out. I don’t want to hand that over to NARA yet. And I very was busy as you’ve sort of seen,” he said.

Baier said that according to the indictment, Trump directed his aide to move the documents to other locations despite insisting he fully complied with the subpoena, “when you hadn’t.”

Trump said he refused to send the boxes to NARA until he had time to take his “things out.”

SEN. VANCE BLOCKS BIDEN’S DOJ NOMINEES IN RESPONSE TO TRUMP INDICTMENT: ‘THIS MUST STOP’

“Before I send boxes over, I have to take my things out,” he told Baier. “These boxes were interspersed with all sorts of things.”

Trump last appeared in a federal court in Miami earlier this month to be arraigned on his charges. Demonstrators both for and against the former president surrounded a Miami federal courthouse where the proceedings took place.

Trump is the first president in United States history to face federal criminal charges.

Fox News’ Yael Halon contributed to this report.