Special counsel Jack Smith asked a federal judge Thursday to start former president Donald Trump’s trial on charges of criminally conspiring to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory on Jan. 2, before the peak of next year’s presidential nomination contest, according to a court filing.
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U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan gave Trump’s team until Monday to make its own request, and scheduled an Aug. 28 hearing in Washington, D.C., to set a trial date. Chutkan will hold her first hearing in the special counsel’s election subversion case on Friday to resolve a related dispute over finalizing a protective order limiting public disclosure of evidence in the case, which Trump’s team says it needs before making trial plans.
Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, pleaded not guilty in Washington last week to the four counts against him in the case.
The week’s rapid-fire developments underscore how aggressively both sides are contesting how quickly the case moves to trial. Smith’s team seeks “a speedy trial,” he has said, a result that could ease concerns that the prosecution could affect next year’s presidential election. Trump’s defense has urged a slower pace, arguing unsuccessfully in a separate special counsel prosecution in Florida that trial should come after the November 2024 vote.
Speaking after his round Thursday in the LIV Golf pro-am tournament at his course in Bedminster, N.J., Trump said, “The trials should be after the election. Because this is just election interference … This is an indictment set up by crooked Joe Biden … This was an indictment that was set up by a political opponent.”
This story will be updated.
Sign up for Fact Checker, our weekly review of what's true, false or in-between in politics.
U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan gave Trump’s team until Monday to make its own request, and scheduled an Aug. 28 hearing in Washington, D.C., to set a trial date. Chutkan will hold her first hearing in the special counsel’s election subversion case on Friday to resolve a related dispute over finalizing a protective order limiting public disclosure of evidence in the case, which Trump’s team says it needs before making trial plans.
Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, pleaded not guilty in Washington last week to the four counts against him in the case.
The week’s rapid-fire developments underscore how aggressively both sides are contesting how quickly the case moves to trial. Smith’s team seeks “a speedy trial,” he has said, a result that could ease concerns that the prosecution could affect next year’s presidential election. Trump’s defense has urged a slower pace, arguing unsuccessfully in a separate special counsel prosecution in Florida that trial should come after the November 2024 vote.
Speaking after his round Thursday in the LIV Golf pro-am tournament at his course in Bedminster, N.J., Trump said, “The trials should be after the election. Because this is just election interference … This is an indictment set up by crooked Joe Biden … This was an indictment that was set up by a political opponent.”
This story will be updated.
