Former President Donald J. Trump and his legal team are fighting back against federal charges alleging the illegal retention of classified documents after leaving office. This week, the lawyers filed over 70 pages of court papers seeking the dismissal of the case, launching a vigorous defense that questions the legality of the charges and the special counsel prosecuting him.

In a series of motions to dismiss, Trump’s legal team made a range of arguments aimed at circumventing the case, which many legal experts believe is one of the strongest against him. These legal maneuvers are seen as a strategy to delay the case from moving forward, reflecting a pattern seen in all of the criminal proceedings Trump is currently facing.

One of the most bold claims made by Trump’s lawyers is the argument of presidential immunity, asserting that he is shielded from prosecution for holding onto classified documents even after leaving office. However, this argument was roundly rejected by a federal appeals court earlier this month in a separate case where Trump was accused of plotting to overturn the 2020 election.

The lawyers further argued that Trump’s initial decision to move the documents from the White House to his private club in Florida was made while he was in power, attempting to invoke presidential immunity. However, prosecutors have accused Trump of willfully retaining the classified documents for months after leaving office, resulting in FBI agents seizing them at Mar-a-Lago in August 2022.

Another motion sought to challenge specific sections of the Espionage Act, claiming that certain phrases were “unconstitutionally vague as applied to President Trump.” The lawyers argued that the law’s language regarding “unauthorized possession” of documents relating to the national defense was too broad and ambiguous to be applied to Trump’s actions.

In a third motion, Trump’s legal team questioned the legitimacy of the special counsel overseeing the cases, claiming that he was unlawfully appointed to the post. They argued that the special counsel should have received Senate confirmation for his appointment, and without that, he lacks the authority to prosecute this action.

Finally, the lawyers revisited the argument that Trump had the “unreviewable discretion” to designate the records as personal, invoking the Presidential Records Act to claim that the documents belonged to him, not unauthorized classified materials.

These legal maneuvers come as part of a broader effort by Trump’s legal team to dismiss the case or delay its progress. They have promised to file multiple motions to dismiss, seeking to suppress evidence seized during the FBI’s search of Mar-a-Lago and accusing members of the special counsel’s team of prosecutorial misconduct.

Moreover, they plan to challenge a judge’s ruling from last year that permitted prosecutors to pierce the attorney-client privilege. The legal team also intends to file motions claiming that prosecutors engaged in a “selective and vindictive” prosecution of Trump, seeking hearings on five of the motions they have filed which, if granted, could significantly slow down the case.

These legal battles highlight the intensity of the legal struggle faced by the former president as he fights against the charges. The upcoming hearings and potential delays in the trial date further emphasize the complex and contentious nature of this legal battle.