In court papers filed on Tuesday night, lawyers for former President Donald J. Trump stated their intention to make accusations of bias against Mr. Trump a central part of their defense against charges that he illegally held onto classified documents after leaving office.
They also indicated that they planned to defend Mr. Trump by attempting to prove that the investigation of the case was politically motivated and biased.
The court papers, filed in Federal District Court in Fort Pierce, Fla., provide insight into the legal strategy Mr. Trump intends to use in fighting the classified documents indictment handed up over the summer.
While the 68-page filing was formally a request by Mr. Trump’s lawyers to the office of the special counsel, Jack Smith, for more information to help them fight the charges, it often read more like a list of political talking points than a brief of legal arguments.
The lawyers for Mr. Trump expressed their intent to portray Mr. Trump as a victim of the spy agencies and collusion between the Biden administration and prosecutors in the cases he faces.
The nation’s spy services are central to the case, as intelligence officials are likely to testify at trial about their assessments of the classified documents Mr. Trump is accused of removing from the White House.
Mr. Trump’s legal team has persistently derided all of the cases he is facing as partisan attacks against him as he mounts his third bid for the presidency.
The indictment alleges that the documents Mr. Trump took with him are related to nuclear secrets and military plans against U.S. adversaries.
Mr. Trump’s legal team also asked for information about potential bias or political animus toward President Trump by the prosecution team, as well as communications with the White House and local prosecutors in Georgia.
The filing also sought additional information about a security clearance from the Energy Department that Mr. Trump maintained after leaving office, which could help Mr. Trump defend himself against the charges.
This filing was similar in tone and substance to a discovery request Mr. Trump’s lawyers made in November in the election interference case.
