Allegations of Manipulating Courts: Special Counsel Accuses Trump Legal Team of Attempting Trial Delays
Trump's legal team is accused of manipulating the courts by requesting delays in his criminal trials Following a recent hearing, they now seek to postpone another trial set for next year, potentially impacting the presidential election
Prosecutors from special counsel Jack Smith's office have accused Donald Trump's former legal team of attempting to manipulate the courts in order to postpone his trials until after the 2024 presidential election. Following a hearing in Florida, where Trump seemed to make progress in his attempt to delay one of his criminal trials, his lawyers requested on Wednesday night for the postponement of another trial in Washington, DC, scheduled for next year.
Prosecutors swiftly exposed Trump's brazen efforts to postpone his encounters with federal juries, pertaining to his mishandling of national security records and 2020 election cases, all while he campaigns for the presidency.
"The actions undertaken by Defendant Trump immediately after the hearing...underscore his unwavering determination to prolong both trials regardless of the consequences. The Court should not permit itself to be manipulated in such a manner," stated the Justice Department in a court document filed on Thursday, addressed to Judge Aileen Cannon in Ft. Pierce, Florida.
Trump has expressed a long-standing desire to postpone his criminal trials until after next year's election. His legal team has recently been emphasizing the need for additional time to handle the cases and other legal matters concerning the former president. Presently, the federal trial for the 2020 election is scheduled to commence in early March, while the trial for the Florida documents case is slated for late May.
The Trump team has requested federal Judge Tanya Chutkan to temporarily suspend his criminal case regarding his efforts to obstruct the transfer of power in 2020. They argue that he should not be tried while the court reviews his request to dismiss the case, claiming presidential immunity for his actions during the election. Although Judge Chutkan has expressed a preference for the March trial date, the request could potentially result in appeals.
Trump's legal team argued in their filing that until the question of threshold immunity is resolved, including all applicable deadlines, the Court should stay this matter to relieve President Trump of the burden of defending himself and facing other burdens of litigation. In response, prosecutors from special counsel Jack Smith's office, who are handling both federal cases against Trump, invoked Trump's request in DC as they advocated for preserving the Florida federal trial in the spring.
During a hearing on Wednesday, Judge Cannon, who is presiding over Trump's documents case in Florida, seemed inclined to postpone dates after Trump's lawyers expressed their overwhelming load of trial preparation for another federal case. Early Thursday morning, Jay Bratt, a prosecutor from the Justice Department, informed Judge Cannon in Florida that Trump's lawyers requested a halt to the 2020 election case in Washington, DC.
Neither judge has said if Trumps federal trial dates will stay as is.
