US can file secret evidence against Mar-a-Lago interloper

The Associated Press

5 years ago

FILE - In this April 15, 2019, file court sketch, Yujing Zhang, left, a Chinese woman charged w ... — FILE – In this April 15, 2019, file court sketch, Yujing Zhang, left, a Chinese woman charged with lying to illegally enter President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, listens to a hearing before Magistrate Judge William Matthewman in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Daniel Pontet via AP, File)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A federal judge will let prosecutors file secret evidence in the trespassing case of a Chinese woman accused of sneaking into President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club because it contains national security information.

District Judge Roy Altman said in a two-page order filed Tuesday that he reviewed the evidence against Yujing Zhang that prosecutors want to keep secret and agrees its disclosure could “seriously damage” U.S. national security.

Zhang is charged with illegally entering the president’s Florida club in March and then lying to Secret Service agents when confronted. Her trial is scheduled for next month.

Authorities say she was carrying a computer and other electronics when arrested but hasn’t been charged with espionage. She fired her public defenders last month to serve as her own attorney. She remains jailed without bond.