Donald Trump once argued that he couldn't be investigated while he was still president for crimes he may have committed. Now, the former commander in chief has tweaked that murky policy to include not being tried for crimes while he's running for president, asking for a delay of his trial in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case until after the 2024 election. Trump's attorneys said in a Monday court filing made on behalf of Trump and his co-defendant, valet Walt Nauta, that a trial held during the 2024 campaign cycle "will create extraordinary challenges in the jury selection process and limit the Defendants' ability to secure a fair and impartial adjudication."
Trump's latest move comes after special counsel Jack Smith already asked for a trial delay from US District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, noting both sides needed more time to prepare. Cannon had originally set the trial for this August; Smith is asking to push it until December. But even that's not a long-enough delay for Trump's team, which cites the "extraordinary nature" of the proceedings. "There is most assuredly no reason for any expedited trial, and the ends of justice are best served by a continuance," they write in their filing, per ABC News. They add that "previously scheduled trials in other matters for both President Trump and defense counsel make it nearly impossible to prepare for this trial by December."
Trump's criminal trial in the Stormy Daniels hush-money case begins in March, a second civil trial involving writer E. Jean Carroll's defamation claims starts in January, and a civil trial in New York state over potential fraud in Trump's business kicks off in October. Other possible indictments also loom. Politico notes that this development syncs with how Trump usually approaches legal commotion, a tactic in which he "[drags] out matters he's facing as long as possible while hoping the legal landscape changes." However, the outlet notes he's never faced a situation like this before, one in which he's involved in a criminal trial that could put him behind bars for years, as well as make him the first president ever prosecuted for a crime. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 37 counts of mishandling classified documents, Nauta to six counts related to the case. (More Mar-a-Lago indictment stories.)
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