Federal prosecutors press judge for summer trial
FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Federal prosecutors pressed a federal judge Friday to schedule a trial for this summer in the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump, while defense lawyers sought to put it off until after the election.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon did not set a date during the pivotal hours- long hearing in Fort Pierce, Florida, attended by Trump, though she did express skepticism that the case could proceed to trial on the timeline requested by prosecu- tors.
The trial date decision is crucial, determining whether the former pres- ident and leading Republican candidate in the 2024 presidential race faces a jury before the November election on charges that he hoarded top-secret records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and concealed them from government investi- gators. Given the gravity of the allegations and the breadth of evidence that prosecutors say they have accumulated, the documents case has long been seen as the most legally perilous of the four criminal prosecu- tions that Trump is facing this year.
The case had been sched- uled for months to reach trial on May 20, but with Cannon signaling months ago that she intended to reconsider that date, the two sides sub- mitted competing propos- als this week that could the- oretically result in Trump standing trial at some point this summer — or not any- time this year.
“This case can be tried this summer,” said prosecutor Jay Bratt, a member of special counsel Jack Smith’s team, which has pressed for a July 8 trial date.
Defense lawyers contend there is no fair way to hold a fair trial this year at a time when Trump is looking to clinch the Republican presi- dential nomination, but they have nonetheless offered Aug. 12 as a possible date to begin jury selection.
“We very much believe that a trial that takes place before the election is a mis- take and should not hap- pen,” said attorney Todd Blanche. “The easy solution is to start this trial after the election.”
Though she didn’t imme- diately rule, Cannon hinted that she did not see the case as being on the cusp of trial, telling lawyers that “a lot of work remains to be done.”
Trump, who has had com- bative exchanges in the past with judges, sat qui- etly during Friday’s arguments and appeared to lis- ten intently. Smith was also present, as were Trump’s two co-defendants, Walt
Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira.
The trial date has taken on added significance in light of the uncertainty surrounding a separate federal case in Washington charging Trump with scheming to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The Supreme Court said this week it would hear arguments in late April on whether Trump is immune from prosecution, leaving it unclear whether that case might reach trial before the election.
If the Florida classified documents case were to be postponed until after the election, and if the Washington election subversion case does not take place this year, that would mean voters would head to the polls without two blockbuster federal prosecutions — one charging Trump with seeking to undermine American democracy, the other accusing him of mishandling sensitive national secrets — being resolved.
A late summer trial, if it happens, could come right around the time that the parties select their presidential nominees.