DELAY TACTICS

Trump Wants to Push Back D.C. Election Subversion Trial for YEARS

His lawyers accused special counsel Jack Smith, who has asked for a Jan. 2024 start date, of trying to deny Trump “a fair ability to prepare for trial.”

Turns out juggling a re-election campaign and four separate criminal cases can quickly gum up a man’s schedule. Former President Donald Trump is seeking to push off the start date of his federal trial on charges related to his efforts to hold onto power and reverse his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. In a court filing on Thursday evening, Trump’s lawyers requested an April 2026 start date, citing the “median time” a jury trial takes and its supposed incompatibility with the government’s proposed timeline. Special counsel Jack Smith has asked for a Jan. 2024 start date, with a prosecutor arguing it “would vindicate the public’s strong interest in a speedy trial—an interest guaranteed by the Constitution and federal law in all cases, but of particular significance here.” On Thursday, Trump’s attorneys pushed back on that reasoning, insisting the Justice Department’s “objective is clear: to deny President Trump and his counsel a fair ability to prepare for trial.” U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan is expected to set a date during a court hearing later this month, according to the Associated Press.