Judge to decide timing of Trump classified documents trial : NPR

Former President Donald Trump waves before boarding his personal plane at Miami International Airport on June 13, in Miami after his first court appearance in the classified documents case.

Alex Brandon/AP

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Alex Brandon/AP

Former President Donald Trump waves before boarding his personal plane at Miami International Airport on June 13, in Miami after his first court appearance in the classified documents case.

Alex Brandon/AP

Attorneys for the Justice Department and former President Donald Trump are set to meet in Florida for a 2 p.m. ET pre-trial hearing that could decide the crucial timing of the classified documents trial.

Trump is accused of keeping classified documents after the former president left the White House and refusing to hand them over to the U.S. government. He and his valet, Walt Nauta, are also accused of conspiring to obstruct the FBI investigation by moving boxes to evade government scrutiny.

Both men have pleaded not guilty.

Tuesday’s pre-trial hearing is set to address the timing of the federal trial which could coincide with the 2024 presidential election.

Prosecutors want to proceed with a speedy trial to begin in December. But Trump’s lawyers are seeking a delay, arguing that waiting until after the 2024 presidential election would be better as Trump, of course, is running for the GOP presidential nomination.

Special counsel Jack Smith has previously told Judge Aileen Cannon that there is “no basis in law or fact” for indefinitely postponing the trial and urged the court to proceed with jury selection in December.

Trump’s attorneys have also argued they have a voluminous stack of documents to review for the trial and are dealing with a uniquely complex legal case as they are tasked with defending the first former president to face federal charges from a government he once led.

Legal observers are closely watching Tuesday’s hearing as Judge Cannon, a Trump appointee, has previously been criticized for a lack of experience and ties to the former president.

This hearing comes just hours after Trump announced on his Truth Social social media account that he’s a target of the federal grand jury investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. If he is indicted in this case, he could be heading into the 2024 election facing several criminal trials.