Trump lawyer giggles as ex-president whispers comments during classified documents hearing

Donald Trump's lawyer giggled and smirked as the former president whispered in his ear during a hearing in special counsel Jack Smith's classified documents case Thursday, according to a CNN report.

At first, Trump sat in rapt attention as he followed proceedings in the Fort Pierce federal courtroom where Judge Aileen Cannon heard arguments about two motions to dismiss, according to a reporter inside the courtroom.

But as the hearing progressed, Trump began to whisper in the ear of Todd Blanche, the white-collar defense attorney also representing the former president in his criminal hush money case in New York, the report notes.

Blanche "would often chuckle or smile as he listened to the former president," CNN reported.

The last time Trump appeared before Cannon was a five-hour hearing on March 1 during which he "kept closing his eyes" as prosecutors, his attorneys and Cannon debated motions and scheduling options ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

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"Trump appeared to grow impatient by 3 p.m." CNN's Katelyn Polantz reported. Trump was "shaking his head as prosecutor David Harbach stood up to deliver his closing argument."

Trump stands accused of 37 counts that include willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, corruptly concealing a document or record, concealing a document in a federal investigation, court records show.

He has pleaded not guilty.

Thursday's hearing delved into dismissal motions arguing that Smith's indictment was unconstitutionally vague and that Trump is shielded from prosecution by federal record-keeping law.

Cannon reportedly appeared skeptical of the latter.