Venue change in Trump docs case

Thursday, June 8

© AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Special Counsel Jack Smith has been calling witnesses to appear before a grand jury in Florida this week as part of the investigation into classified documents found at former President Trump‘s Mar-a-Lago home. Smith is thought to be nearing a decision on whether to bring charges.

Florida is a venue change — Smith had called witnesses before a grand jury in D.C. for months — and one that could be significant.

"The move is a sign Smith is weighing filing charges there [in Florida] in addition to or instead of D.C. as defendants have a right to face trial where the alleged crime took place," The Hill's Rebecca Beitsch wrote, adding that "a defendant can move to dismiss charges they believe haven't been brought in the correct location."

Potential charges in the case include willful retention of documents and obstruction of justice charges related to efforts to keep the documents.

Some of the activity prosecutors have looked into occurred in Florida.

Read more on the potential significance of the venue change here.

More coverage from The Hill:

IN OTHER NEWS…Trump's lawyers on Thursday requested a new trial in the case in which Trump was recently found liable for sexual abuse and defamation.

Trump's team argues the monetary award for the sexual abuse verdict was excessive because he wasn't found liable for rape and that the defamation claim was based on speculation. Trump has separately appealed the verdict in the case.

Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Amee LaTour, catching you up from the afternoon and what's coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) will sit for an interview with Sean Hannity next Monday in what will be Newsom's first Fox News interview in more than a decade.

Black leaders are commending the Supreme Court‘s decision striking down a GOP-drawn congressional map in Alabama, while stressing there's more work to do for voting rights.

© Greg Nash, The Hill

Smoky conditions in the nation's capital from wildfires in Canada have caused a number of postponements and closings as the federal government's air quality tracker graded the air in Washington "very unhealthy" Thursday.

A few major changes:

See a round-up of regional closings and postponements at WUSA9 here.

MEANWHILE…Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called for twice as many Forest Service personnel to be sent to help fight the more than 400 active wildfires in Canada.

Introducing The Hill's Future of Health Care Summit, Thursday, June 22, 2023 | 8-11 a.m. ET | National Press Club Ballroom, streaming online nationally

Join us for The Hill's largest health event of the year, bringing together policymakers and health experts for a discussion on advancing access, health equity, preparedness and resetting the care paradigm in the U.S.

Speakers include former Surgeon General Jerome Adams (appearing virtually), former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci, George Washington University Hospital emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen and more. REGISTER NOW

Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su faced questions and criticisms from Republicans on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Thursday.

House Republicans criticized Su over a New York Times report on child labor among undocumented immigrants and over a California law that made it harder to classify workers as independent contractors when Su was state labor commissioner.

Su said she wasn't in the legislature and didn't help pass the bill. Su also said the stories reported by The New York Times "came out because the Department of Labor was doing our job." Read more here

© AP Photo/Andy Bao

Televangelist and former presidential candidate Pat Robertson died Thursday at the age of 93. The Hill's Jared Gans looks at five big moments in Robertson's career here.

The Hill's Adam Barnes and Lexi Lonas examine the intersection of student loan payments and housing affordability, looking at the provision in the debt limit deal establishing a definite date of Aug. 29 for payments to resume.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Jack Daniel‘s in a trademark infringement dispute concerning a poop-themed dog toy that parodied the company's whiskey bottles.

"This case is about dog toys and whiskey, two items seldom appearing in the same sentence," Supreme Court Justice Elana Kagan wrote for the court, . Read more here

"Why Chris Licht didn't stand a chance" — Bernard Goldberg, a writer and journalist, former correspondent with HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," former reporter for CBS News and former analyst for Fox News. (Read here)

"What we actually need to do address the epidemic of loneliness" —

Cindy Jordan, co-founder and chief executive officer of Pyx Health, which supports individuals dealing with loneliness. (Read here)

516 days until the presidential election.

9:30 a.m.: The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health holds a hearing called "Addressing the Opioid Crisis: Examining the SUPPORT Act Five Years Later."

President Biden will be in North Carolina to speak about the Investing in America Agenda.

There a story you think should be getting more attention? Something people should be talking about? Drop me a line: [email protected]

You’re all caught up! Stay with TheHill.com for the latest and recommend this newsletter to others: TheHill.com/Evening. See you tomorrow.

Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.