Special counsel Jack Smith has reportedly asked a federal judge to delay the start of the trial of former President Donald J. Trump and co-defendant Walt Nauta in the confidential documents case from August until December 11. A Justice Department filing was released late Friday.
The Justice Department’s proposal still calls for a relatively quick timeline. Judge Eileen M. Cannon’s earlier ruling set the first trial date for August 14, but this was considered an administrative interim, and both sides expected significant procedural delays. rice field.
In a filing, prosecutors said additional time would be required to obtain defense clearances and to deal with confidential evidence proceedings. It will also give defense attorneys more time to consider the amount of material turned over by prosecutors, the filing said.
Smith and his team said in their filing that the trial “contains a straightforward theory of liability and presents no new questions of fact or law” and therefore is not a particularly important issue. He argued that, therefore, the trial should proceed expeditiously, despite its enormous political implications. “Unusual or complex” from a legal point of view.
Smith’s team also provided defense counsel with an initial estimate of the number of witnesses who could be called to testify (84). The judge who presided over Trump’s first trial has asked the list to impose limits on the former president’s discussion of the case to prevent witness tampering.
The prosecution has requested that names be withheld, cautioned that the tally “does not include every witness the government may call in a trial,” and the defense has asked for witnesses on the list. He said he reserves the right to object.
The special counsel also ordered a series of mandatory procedures under the Confidential Information Procedures Act that would give Trump’s attorney and Trump’s valet and personal aide Nauta access to classified evidence the government plans to present at trial. started. . The classified documents are a key element of the lawsuit against Mr. Trump, who has been charged with compromising national defense secrets and obstructing the retention and refusal to return classified documents after leaving the White House. It is
The defense may not share the prosecution’s urgency, and the prosecution said in a filing that the defense will challenge the special counsel’s schedule.Trump’s legal strategy It was long overdue. If the trial drags on until the 2024 election and Trump wins the election, he could theoretically try to: sorryAlternatively, he could direct the Attorney General to drop charges and clean up the case.
The extent to which the two sides will clash in schedules and procedures will be an early test for Judge Cannon. relatively inexperienced jurist Last year, she handed down several rulings in favor of the former president to obstruct a documentary investigation before a conservative appeals court overturned her. say she had no legal authority intervene.
The filing comes just before Nauta’s formal arraignment in Miami federal court, scheduled for Tuesday. He was unable to formally be arraigned with Trump on June 13 because Trump’s Washington-based attorney had not yet been appointed in court.
The government reportedly released unclassified discovery materials earlier this week, including documents obtained through warrants and subpoenas, transcripts of grand jury testimony and witness interviews, and copies of non-public television footage the government obtained during investigations. I started handing over to the defense. filing.
