Donald Trump’s lawyers in his classified documents case are doubling down on a special demand involving the former president’s secret “Q” clearance with the Energy department, court records show.
For the Energy department, writes Daily Beast reporter Jose Pagliery, “read: nukes.”
Trump’s lawyers Todd Blanche and Chris Kise Wednesday filed their latest response in a back-and-forth battle with special counsel Jack Smith over their motion to dismiss the Florida federal case.
ALSO READ: Racism, arrests, extreme MAGA love: Meet Lauren Boebert’s primary opponents
In this new filing, the lawyers argue there must be a special hearing to discuss Trump’s clearance status with the Energy department after Smith’s office opposed their motion to dismiss.
“The Office's opposition to this motion has reinforced the need for further disclosures regarding the Energy Department's decision-making relating to President Trump,” the lawyers write.
“These disclosures are ‘material’ to an important trial defense and ‘favorable’ to President Trump.”
This filing follows up on an inquiry introduced in a November when Blanche referenced the high-level security clearance during a court hearing.
Trump’s lawyers followed up in January with a request to Judge Aileen Cannon that she force Smith’s team to provide more information on “Q” clearance, the Washington Post reported at the time.
“The term refers to a type of security clearance handled by the agency, whose classified information focuses largely on nuclear secrets,” the report noted.
“It became popular in right-wing conspiracy circles because of the movement known as QAnon, which originated during Trump’s presidency and centers on made-up claims circulated by a person known as 'Q,' who supporters claimed had that level of clearance.”
This filing arrived one day before a scheduled hearing in Fort Pierce, Florida, to consider Trump’s lawyers’ two motions to dismiss.
Smith is expected to argue those motions are just another example of Trump trying to place himself above the law.
Trump, who pleaded not guilty to charges that he willfully retained national defense information in violation of federal law, reportedly plans to appear in person.