Jack Smith urges judge to deny any further attempts by Trump to delay classified docs trial

By 
 April 16, 2024

Former President Donald Trump's lawyers have scored a number of legal victories over past months, most of them in the form of trial delays.

And according to reports, Special Counsel Jack Smith has had enough. Smith recently expressed his anger at Trump and his legal team for attempting to delay the classified documents trial, according to the Huffington Post.

Smith urged the judge in charge of the case to deny any further requests by Trump and his legal team to delay the trial, which has already experienced numerous setbacks.

The special counsel's desperate urging comes in the wake of Trump's lawyers asking U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to push the trial back further.

What's going on?

Trump's lawyers argue that because of the active "hush money" trial taking place in New York, his lawyers on the classified documents probe simply do not have enough time to prepare what has been requested by the judge.

The deadline, May 9, is ample time for Trump's lawyers to submit the requested materials, according to Smith's office.

"The defendants have had ample notice that these deadlines would be scheduled and have already had months to complete the work,” Smith wrote in a new court filing.

He added, "Counsel should already be prepared to meet these deadlines, and in any event, other commitments are not grounds for postponement."

"Each time the Court sets a new deadline in this case and attempts to keep it moving toward trial," the court filing added, "the defendants reflexively ask for an adjournment. That must stop."

Trump's lawyers argue back

The former president's lawyers, in their own court filing, argued that the New York trial could take six weeks or more, hindering Trump's ability to prepare for the classified documents trial.

The outlet noted:

Trump’s legal team argued in their own filing this weekend that the former president had a constitutional right to be present in New York during the hush money trial, and he has said he planned to testify during the proceedings, which could stretch for more than six weeks. But Smith said Trump’s right to counsel of his choice is not “boundless.”

Clearly, Smith and his team are worried, and their sense of urgency only underscores thoughts that the powers that be want Trump to be on trial throughout the year and into the November election.

Only time will tell if Judge Cannon pushes it back even further, which is sure to enrage Smith if she goes that route.

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