Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith requested a July 8 trial date for former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case as the 2024 presidential election draws nearer and Trump pushes for a later date in hopes of not interrupting his campaign trail.
Jack Smith made the request in a filing Thursday. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Smith said in a filing that the trial for Trump and his co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, should take place on July 8.
Trump’s attorneys have proposed an Aug. 12 trial date for Trump and De Oliveira, according to CNN, as well as a Sept. 9 trial date for Nauta.
Trump’s attorneys argued in a separate filing Thursday that the former president won’t have a fair trial before the election and won’t be able to properly hit the campaign trail if the trial is too early—the Republican National Convention is scheduled for July 15-18.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is holding a hearing about the case Friday, when she’s expected to address the proposed trial dates.
Trump’s hush-money trial in New York is scheduled to begin on March 25 and is expected to last six weeks, the Associated Press reported. Meanwhile, Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis has requested Aug. 5 as the trial date for the former president’s criminal case over his alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election, though attorneys for Trump and his co-defendants there have mounted an effort to remove Willis, claiming she had an inappropriate relationship with a prosecutor she hired to oversee the case. Trump’s trial in his federal election interference case is paused while the Supreme Court considers his argument that his charges should be dismissed on grounds of presidential immunity.
Trump was charged with dozens of counts last year alleging he kept and hid classified government documents at Mar-a-Lago. Federal investigators searched the resort after Trump’s attorneys only turned over 38 classified documents to the government in response to a subpoena. The most serious charge against the former president in the case carries a punishment of up to 20 years in prison, according to the Associated Press. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all of his charges.
Trump In Court For Classified Documents Hearing—Here’s How It Could Affect Trial (Forbes)
Why Trump Faces Charges But Biden Doesn’t In Classified Documents Cases (Forbes)