Special counsel Jack Smith speaks to reporters last month in Washington. Smith has asked a court not to delay Trump’s trial indefinitely as the former president has requested.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Special counsel Jack Smith told a federal judge there is “no basis in law or fact” for indefinitely postponing the federal trial of former President Donald Trump and urged the court to proceed with jury selection in December.
In a new court filing, Smith wrote that one of Trump’s legal arguments “borders on frivolous” and said there’s no evidence that waiting until after the 2024 presidential election would make the process any easier.
“The legal issues Defendants raise do not justify deviation from a speedy trial date, much less open-ended deferral of considering one,” wrote Smith and assistant special counsel David Harbach.
Trump faces dozens of felony charges for willful retention of national security information, including highly classified papers he allegedly stored in a ballroom and a bathroom at his Florida resort. He’s also accused of conspiring to obstruct the FBI investigation alongside his valet Walt Nauta, who allegedly moved boxes to evade government scrutiny. Both men have pleaded not guilty.
This week, Trump and Nauta suggested Judge Aileen Cannon postpone the trial, perhaps until after the results of the presidential election, where Trump is running for the Republican nomination.
“There is simply no question any trial of this action during the pendency of a Presidential election will impact both the outcome of that election and, importantly, the ability of the Defendants to obtain a fair trial,” wrote Trump attorneys Christopher Kise and Todd Blanche.
But federal prosecutors are pushing…
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