18 August 2023 , 00:06
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Donald Trump has asked a federal judge to set the trial for charges of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election for April 2026, over two years after the date proposed by the prosecution team.
In the Thursday filing, the former-President urged US District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington, DC, to reject Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith’s proposal for a January 2024 trial, saying he “seeks a trial calendar more rapid than most no-document misdemeanours, requesting just four months from the beginning of discovery to jury selection.”
“The government’s objective is clear: to deny President Trump and his counsel a fair ability to prepare for trial. The Court should deny the government’s request,” lawyers for the former president wrote.
Trump's legal team have argued that the January 2024 timeline would conflict with other criminal and civil cases in which the former president is a defendant.
Trump faces numerous charges from different places (Getty Images)“President Trump must prepare for each of these trials in the coming months. All are independently complex and will require substantial work to defend. Several will likely require President Trump’s presence at some or all trial proceedings,” the defence wrote.
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“Without question, President Trump’s obligation to diligently prepare for this case does not end because of other pending matters,” the attorneys said. “However, the Court may, and should, consider the practical effects these parallel prosecutions will have on President Trump’s ability to meet the extraordinarily brief deadlines the government proposes.”
The charges being faced by Trump in DC are connected to the violent January 6 riot (AP)Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of Congress’ certification of Biden’s win. He previously posted on his Truth Social platform that the Justice Department “secretly attacked” his Twitter account, and he characterised the investigation as an attempt to “infringe” on his bid to reclaim the White House in 2024.
The election conspiracy case is the second case Smith has brought against Trump. The former president is also facing dozens of felony counts stemming from classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
He also faces charges over paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels further charges in Georgia for allegedly undermining election processes there.