Justice Dept. seeks to push back Trump trial to December

The Justice Department is requesting that the federal trial in its unprecedented criminal case against former president Donald Trump begin in December — a timetable that Trump’s attorneys are expected to contest, according to a court document filed Friday evening.

Earlier this week, Judge Aileen Cannon, the federal judge in South Florida presiding over the case who will ultimately decide when the trial begins, set a start date for August.

But such an early date is not expected to stick. The government’s case against Trump and his aide, Walt Nauta, is centered on numerous classified documents, which requires lawyers on both sides to adhere to stringent and often time-consuming laws intended to ensure that Trump’s legal team and the jury are able to view the evidence while protecting the government secrets.

When announcing the indictment, special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the case for the Justice Department, said he would push for a speedy trial.

Trials involving classified documents can drag on, but a relatively quick timetable is crucial if the government wants the trial to be finished before the 2024 presidential race. Trump is the leading Republican candidate, and he and some of his GOP competitors have slammed the investigation as partisan, suggesting that any one of them may try to force the Justice Department to drop the case if elected.

Federal prosecutors said in the Friday court filing that they have asked to delay Cannon’s proposed timetable by about four months — with jury selection beginning Dec. 11 — because Trump’s lawyers will need up to two months to obtain the security clearance required to view some of the classified documents.