U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon said in court Friday that "a lot of work remains to be done" on the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump and his associates before it can be brought to trial.
Jay Bratt, a member of special counsel Jack Smith's prosecuting team pressed Judge Cannon, saying, "This case can be tried this summer," the New York Post reported.
But Trump defense attorney Todd Blanche answered, "We very much believe that a trial that takes place before the election is a mistake and should not happen."
Although Cannon did not issue a ruling on Friday, the implication was the trial would not happen as soon as the special counsel would prefer.
Yesterday, Smith had filed a motion requesting a July 8 start to the trial, to which Trump attorneys Blanche and Christopher Kise filed a motion of their own asking for the Trump documents case to begin on Aug. 12.
The Trump filing begins: "As the leading candidate in the 2024 election, President Trump strongly asserts that a fair trial cannot be conducted this year in a manner consistent with the Constitution, which affords President Trump a Sixth Amendment right to be present and to participate in these proceedings as well as, inter alia, a First Amendment right that he shares with the American people to engage in campaign speech."
Last summer Smith indicted Trump, Walt Nauta and later Carlos de Oliveira for allegedly conspiring to retain classified materials at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and subsequently lying to the authorities who were seeking those documents.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to the 40 federal counts against him.
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