Judge Signals Trump Trial Won't Start in December

A federal judge signaled Tuesday that December may be too soon to begin former President Trump's landmark criminal trial concerning the mishandling of classified documents, but did not say whether she would agree to Trump's request to put the trial off until after the 2024 election, the AP reports. Judge Aileen Cannon said she would issue a written order "promptly" after the nearly two-hour hearing in federal court in Fort Pierce, Florida, where Trump's lawyers pressed for an indefinite delay of a trial date. The sparring over setting a trial date, a routine matter in criminal cases, underscores the unprecedented nature of prosecuting a former president who is also running to reclaim the White House in 2024.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and slammed the prosecution as an attempt to hurt his campaign. Trump's lawyers say the Republican can't get a fair trial ahead of the election and insist they need more time to review evidence and prepare for what they describe as a complex case. The judge repeatedly pressed Trump's lawyers to set some dates and a more concrete timetable, but acknowledged she understood they needed more time to review documents and footage. "We need to set a timetable," Cannon said. "Some deadlines can be established now." She also questioned prosecutors on whether there were other similar cases involving classified documents tried in such a short time frame.

Special counsel Jack Smith's team, which is pushing for the trial to begin in December, told the judge the case is not complex and there's no need for a lengthy delay. They rejected insinuations by the defense that Trump was charged because he's running for president. Prosecutor David Harbach said there was "no political influence." "No one in our team is a political appointee," he said, noting that they are all career prosecutors. It was the first time arguments were held in front of Cannon, who has been under increased scrutiny since a court ruling last year that critics said was unduly favorable to Trump. Trump's co-defendant, Walt Nauta, attended the hearing, but Trump did not. (He traveled Tuesday to Iowa, where he joked about his legal challenges while campaigning.)