In a word: politics. While mobs of his adversaries are waving the torches anxiously waiting to burn Donald Trump at the legal and political ‘stake,’ Trump’s lawyers are calling for his trial related to the former president’s procurement of classified documents to be delayed until after the 2024 election.
Trump’s Trials
Trump’s lawyers said in a court filing Monday evening:
“Proceeding to trial during the pendency of a Presidential election cycle wherein opposing candidates are effectively (if not literally) directly adverse to one another in this action will create extraordinary challenges in the jury selection process and limit the Defendants’ ability to secure a fair and impartial adjudication.”
Furthermore, the lawyers suggested that proceeding with the trial during the election was a threat to the democratic process.
“This extraordinary case presents a serious challenge to both the fact and perception of our American democracy,” wrote the lawyers, Chris M. Kise and Todd Blanche for Mr. Trump, and Stanley Woodward Jr. and Sasha Dadan for Mr. Nauta.
Trump’s team also wasn’t shy about accusing the Biden administration of pursuing Trump to destroy his candidacy and secure Biden’s return to the White House.
“The court now presides over a prosecution advanced by the administration of a sitting president against his chief political rival, himself a leading candidate for the presidency of the United States,” they wrote. “Therefore, a measured consideration and timeline that allows for a careful and complete review of the procedures that led to this indictment and the unprecedented legal issues presented herein best serves the interests of the defendants and the public.”
Previously, prosecutors were preparing for an August 14th trial set by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump-appointed jurist, per a scheduling order posted to her court docket three weeks ago.
However, special counsel Jack Smith is asking for a trial to begin December 11, telling the court it could take about three weeks, in all. This would coincide with crucial campaign efforts in preparation for Super Tuesday early in 2024.
Still, Trump’s defense team stated the sheer volume of files that must be reviewed make it impossible to be prepared for an end of year trial, saying it “is simply untenable and ignores the magnitude of this case.” They said they need more time to prepare a defense in the trial and argue “there is no ongoing threat to national security interests nor any concern regarding continued criminal activity.”
Trump’s team also must prepare for a trial in the spring of 2024; March 25th to be exact, three weeks after Super Tuesday, one of the most important days on the Republican presidential primary calendar. This one is related to 34 felony charges of falsifying business records stemming from a $130,000 hush payment to Stormy Daniels in the closing weeks of the 2016 campaign, brought up by blood thirsty District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Donald Trump Pleaded Not Guilty
The 45th President of the United States pleaded not guilty to historic charges of mishandling sensitive files at a federal court in Miami, Florida, days after his 77th birthday.
The indictment included 37 counts including obstruction and unlawful retention of defense information for storing dozens of classified documents at his Florida resort and refusing to return them to the FBI and the National Archives.
Trump has continued to maintain his innocence claiming that the whole episode is a charade of political theater and weaponization of the Justice Department against Republicans in general, and himself in particular.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump decried, “I supplied them openly, and without question, security tape from Mar-a-Lago. I had nothing to hide, nor do I now. Nobody said I wasn’t allowed to look at the personal records that I brought with me from the White House. There’s nothing wrong with that….”
In yet another, he said, “There was no crime, except for what the DOJ and FBI have been doing against me for years.”
Mark Levin, conservative radio host, lawyer, and author of the soon-to-be-released book “The Democratic Party Hates America,” applauded Trump’s defense team in a tweet early Tuesday:
“This is a thoroughly rational and appropriate motion by President Trump’s lawyers, one that I suggested on Life, Liberty & Levin. This trial should be delayed until after the election, if not dismissed altogether by the way (I assume there will be subsequent motion filings in this regard, as suggested by Trump’s lawyers); if the DOJ/Garland/Smith object, it will definitively prove that among the primary purposes of this persecution is to interfere with the presidential election. There are no statute of limitations issues. There are no emergency issues (the government has the documents.”
Levin makes a good point. If there is no imminent threat to the American people, objection to an extension by the DOJ team would make it seem more likely that their only motive is procuring another term for one of the weakest candidates Democrats have seen in a long time – the current president, Joe Biden.
Jennifer Galardi is the politics and culture editor and opinion writer for 19FortyFive.com with a conservative spin. She has a Master’s in Public Policy from Pepperdine University and produces and hosts the podcast Connection with conversations that address health, culture, politics, and policy. In a previous life, she wrote for publications in the health, fitness, and nutrition space. In addition, her pieces have been published in the Epoch Times and Pepperdine Policy Review. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
