Justice Department asks judge not to postpone trial against Trump

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department asked a judge Thursday to reject Donald Trump’s attempts to adjourn his trial for withholding classified documents, saying there is no basis to delay the process “indefinitely” as the former president’s lawyers claim. .

Federal prosecutors last month proposed setting a December 11 trial date for Trump, who faces 37 felony counts related to mishandling classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate, though the Final date will be established by the judge.

Trump’s lawyers responded this week with a request for an indefinite postponement. They did not propose a specific date but noted that the case involved new legal issues and that proceeding with a trial within the next six months was “unreasonable” and could “result in judicial error.”

Members of special counsel Jack Smith’s team responded Thursday by asking U.S. Judge Aileen Cannon not to postpone the start of the trial past the December date they recommended.

They rejected the idea that any of the legal arguments that the defense intends to raise require the trial to be postponed. They said they have already turned over a significant amount of evidence, including grand jury transcripts and unclassified witness statements, and will present additional witness statements from interviews conducted through June 23, or two, over the next week. weeks after formal charges were filed.

Although defense lawyers had said a postponement was necessary because they had not received classified evidence, prosecutors stressed that, as of Thursday afternoon, only two of the registered lawyers had applied for a security clearance granting them access to they.

Later Thursday, Trump’s lawyers filed a brief stating that the “defense has completed all outstanding application tasks required to obtain the required security clearances in this matter, with one exception.”

The defense had also argued that scheduling the trial should take into account Trump’s busy campaign schedule for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. But prosecutors said that was not an argument for indefinite postponement either.

“Many defendants have demanding jobs that require a considerable amount of their time and energy, or a significant amount of travel,” they wrote.

The Justice Department also rejected the assertion that it would be impossible to select an impartial jury before the election.

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Erik Tucker is on Twitter as http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP