Ft. Pierce, Florida
CNN
—
The federal judge overseeing Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago document-mishandling case expressed uncertainty about holding a trial in May 2024, suggesting a potential postponement of the criminal proceedings.
During a hearing in south Florida, US District Judge Aileen Cannon raised concerns over the defense team’s ability to adequately prepare for the trial due to their involvement in other cases related to Trump and a congested trial schedule.
“I’m having a hard time seeing how this work can be accomplished realistically in this period of time,” Cannon stated.
Cannon also questioned Justice Department prosecutor Jay Bratt’s understanding of the situation and the feasibility of keeping the trial schedule unchanged.
No ruling was issued by Cannon in court on Wednesday.
In addition to concerns about the defense team’s access to evidence, Cannon also questioned whether the trial’s timing would unjustly overlap with Trump’s federal election interference trial scheduled for March in Washington, DC.
Trump’s lawyers have filed complaints regarding their limited access to classified evidence in the Mar-a-Lago criminal document-mishandling case, which they argue hinders their trial preparations for May.
As a result, the Trump team is requesting to postpone the trial until at least mid-November 2024.
Two weeks ago, Trump’s lawyers expressed frustration in a letter to the court, stating, “After four months of delay, we were allowed to review for the first time documents that are critical to some of the serious felony charges” brought forth by special counsel Jack Smith.
Trump’s attorneys, along with his co-defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, argue for a delay in the criminal trial and other pending trials until after the election, citing Trump’s ongoing presidential campaign, busy court schedule, and the Justice Department’s perceived rush to trial.
The indictment involving classified records has significant implications for Trump’s candidacy, particularly regarding his handling of national security information at Mar-a-Lago and his post-presidential compliance with record-keeping regulations.
Despite being appointed by Trump, Judge Cannon has granted some leeway to Trump’s legal team in the documents investigation.
Trump, Nauta, and De Oliveira have all pleaded not guilty.
The special counsel’s office is urging Judge Cannon to maintain the existing trial dates, highlighting that the defense teams already have access to over 1 million pages of information related to the case.
Last week, prosecutors refuted Trump’s team’s claims about limited access to evidence, stating that they have had access since early October and the records were delivered to them at a secure facility in Miami more than a week later.
Trump’s legal team has been reviewing classified evidence in Miami, with the former president attending a meeting in the SCIF with his lawyers on Tuesday.
Approximately a month ago, Trump’s team requested duplicate copies of thousands of pages of evidence for their review, specifically to determine whether any classified documents were among the materials stored at Mar-a-Lago.
This story has been updated with additional developments on Wednesday.
