The judge supervising the case involving classified documents belonging to former President Donald Trump was urged by special counsel Jack Smith to reject any additional attempts to postpone his trial.
Recently, Trump’s legal representatives petitioned U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to extend until next month a deadline for the review of classified information associated with the former president’s indictment regarding his management of such material subsequent to his departure from the White House.
They referenced the upcoming commencement of Trump’s distinct hush money case in Manhattan on Monday, stating that the deadline “simply does not allow time” for him and his attorneys to comply.
Smith’s team, on the other hand, asserted that Cannon’s May 9 deadline had been established months prior and accused Trump’s team of “reflexively” requesting a trial postponement whenever the court establishes a new deadline.
“The defendants have been duly informed of the impending deadlines and have had several months to finalize the project,” Smith stated in a recent court filing. “Counsel ought to be adequately equipped to meet these deadlines; furthermore, prior obligations do not warrant a postponement.”
“In an effort to keep the case moving toward trial, the court establishes a new deadline for this case each time the defendants reflexively request an adjournment,” he continued. “That ought to cease.”
Smith further observed that Trump retained the same legal counsel to represent him in numerous cases, and the attorneys consented to this course of action.
“They should not be permitted to perpetually postpone trial in this case by utilizing their overlapping engagements, given that they have already made such decisions,” he wrote. “The Court should reject the latest delay strategy employed by the defendants.”
This weekend, Trump’s legal team submitted their own filing asserting that the former president had a constitutional right to be physically present in New York throughout the hush money trial. Furthermore, Trump has expressed his intention to provide testimony throughout the potentially lengthy proceedings, which may exceed six weeks. Smith, however, stated that Trump’s right to individual counsel is not “boundless.”
The special counsel wrote, “The right must be weighed against ‘the prompt and efficient administration of justice.'” “… The purported entitlements to counsel of preference and sufficient preparation are in no way compromised in this case, as the defense counsel of choice has been given months to prepare the relevant submissions.”
Cannon, an appointee of Trump, has not yet established a start date for the trial. Smith, impatient with her sluggish progress, has submitted a succession of vehement briefs to the court in recent weeks in an attempt to advance the case.
