Former President Donald Trump’s legal team has filed court documents requesting a delay in his Washington, D.C., trial until after the 2024 presidential election. The team argues that the trial should be postponed until April 2026 due to the substantial amount of evidence, complex legal issues, and other ongoing legal proceedings on the former president’s schedule. They claim that this case is unprecedented in American history, as the incumbent administration has targeted Trump, who was the primary political opponent and a leading candidate in the upcoming election. Trump’s lawyers also highlight the significant resources devoted to this case, including the establishment of a special counsel’s office with numerous employees dedicated to this case alone.
In the current charges against Trump, he is accused of four counts related to an alleged scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. The special counsel’s indictment accuses him of collaborating with six unnamed co-conspirators to pressure state officials into altering election results and appointing fake alternate electors. Trump pleaded not guilty to these charges earlier this month.
The trial date proposed by Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team is January 2, 2024, with an estimated duration of four to six weeks. However, Trump’s legal team argues that this timeline denies him and his counsel a fair opportunity to prepare for trial. They contend that Smith’s team had ample time to build the case while Trump should be given equal time to investigate. Smith was appointed in November 2022 to oversee the ongoing investigation after Trump announced his candidacy for president.
Trump’s proposed trial schedule includes several months of pretrial hearings and deadlines starting from December 2023 and suggests that jury selection should begin in spring 2026. His attorneys argue that the extensive volume of evidence provided by the government, which currently stands at 11.5 million pages and may increase further, along with conflicts in Trump’s legal schedule, present challenges to the government’s proposed timeline. They also emphasize the complexity of the case and highlight that the median duration of similar cases involving defrauding the United States necessitates a lengthy pretrial period.
This request from Trump’s legal team follows his lawyers’ previous attempt to postpone another federal trial beyond the upcoming presidential election in the Southern District of Florida. In that case, the special counsel accused Trump of illegally retaining national defense information and obstructing investigators. Two of his aides are also charged in the alleged obstruction scheme. Ultimately, Judge Aileen Cannon set a trial date for May 2024. In the D.C. matter, Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan will decide on the trial’s timing, and the next hearing is scheduled for August 28.
Prosecutors argue for the trial to begin in January, emphasizing the strong public interest in the case, as it involves charges against a former President of the United States who is accused of conspiracies to undermine the federal government, obstruct the certification of the 2020 presidential election, and disenfranchise voters.
In addition to the D.C. trial, Trump has also been indicted on state charges in Georgia related to election matters. He and 18 co-defendants are accused of attempting to overturn the last presidential election’s results in that state. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has given the defendants until August 25 to turn themselves in, and the potential trial date is proposed for March 4, although the case’s complexity may cause delays. Trump denies any wrongdoing in this case as well.
Overall, Trump’s legal team seeks a delay in the Washington, D.C., trial citing the need for more time to prepare due to the unique nature of the case, the significant amount of evidence, and conflicting legal schedules. The final decision on the trial’s scheduling rests with Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan.
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