According to Just the News, a federal judge has now ordered former President Donald Trump's legal team to move forward with the process of obtaining security clearances. 

This is in relation to the classified documents case that special counsel Jack Smith - at the behest of President Joe Biden's Department of Justice (DOJ) - has brought against former President Donald Trump.

As part of the discovery process of this case - that is, the process in which both sides discover and exchange evidence - classified documents are likely to be exchanged. And, this is why security clearance is required for Trump's legal team.

The judge, U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, ordered the attorneys to begin the process to obtain security clearance back in mid-June.

Cannon, at the time, had the attorneys report to the DOJ's Litigation Security Group.

The U.S. Court's website states:

[The Litigation Security Group] is a team of security specialists available to be detailed to the Court to serve as Classified Information Security Officers to assist in the handling and protection of classified information. These CISOs serve in a neutral capacity providing advice and assistance to the Court and the parties in the handling of classified information.

Now, according to Just the News, Trump's legal team is proceeding to the next phase of the security clearance process.

Judge Cannon's order states that all attorneys must "complete all outstanding applicant tasks required to obtain the requisite security clearances in this matter" by July 13.

Trump stands accused, by Smith, of 37 crimes, including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document or record, concealing a document in a federal investigation, a scheme to conceal, and false statements.

Trump pled not guilty to these alleged crimes at his arraignment.

The former president maintains that he has not committed any crimes and that Smith is politically motivated.

This is the first time that a sitting U.S. president used his DOJ to bring criminal charges against his chief political opponent.

Trump continues to speak out against Smith's prosecution of him via his social media site, Truth Social.

In his latest post on the matter, Trump wrote:

Deranged Jack Smith, the wacko prosecutor that Corrupt Joe Biden and his Thugs stuck on me during the political campaign in which Biden is losing “BIG” (an absolute No, No!), just announced that he has spent over 9 million dollars, already, on this continuing Witch Hunt. Biden’s Special Prosecutor, by comparison, has spent almost nothing. Prosecutorial Misconduct for purposes of Election Interference!