Lawyers for former President Donald Trump have asked a judge to postpone his classified documents trial until after next year’s presidential election, saying they have not received all the records they need to review to prepare his defence.
The trial on charges of illegally hoarding classified documents, among four criminal cases the Republican former president is facing, is currently scheduled for May 20, 2024, in Florida.
In a motion filed late Wednesday, Trump’s lawyers urged US District Judge Aileen Cannon to push back the trial until at least mid-November 2024. The presidential election is set for November 5, 2024, with Trump currently leading the GOP field in the months before the primary season.
The defence lawyers argued that a postponement was necessary because of scheduling conflicts another federal trial is scheduled for March 2024 in Washington, and one of Trump’s attorneys, Christopher Kise, is also representing him in an ongoing civil fraud trial in New York and because of what they say are delays in obtaining and reviewing the classified records cited in special counsel Jack Smith’s indictment.
They said some of the delays were beyond their control and were due in part to the fact that defence lawyers had lacked the necessary read-ins to review all material provided by the government.
This production will include certain materials that Defendants have described as outstanding, including audio recordings of interviews and information related to the classification reviews conducted in the case, prosecutors wrote.
The defence lawyers say Trump’s two co-defendants in the case, his valet Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira, are joining in the request.
