Federal prosecutors have asked the judge in the classified documents case against Donald Trump to delay the trial until December. In a filing Friday, the Department of Justice says Trump’s defense team opposes the move.
Prosecutors said that at first glance, the case does not appear to qualify for a continuance under the statute because it is not overly complex and “does not present novel questions of fact or law.”
“However,” they wrote to Judge Aileen Cannon, “the case does involve classified information and will necessitate defense counsel obtaining the requisite security clearances.”
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Those clearances can take up to two months to get approved, making the original August trial date too close for comfort.
Special Counsel Jack Smith wrote that he has arranged for “prompt production” of evidence against Trump, who was indicted on 37 counts of illegally retaining documents at Mar-a-Lago and associated crimes.
Even so, Smith wrote, “the inclusion of additional time for defense counsel to review and digest the discovery, to make their own decisions about any production to the government, and for the government to review the same, is reasonable and appropriate.”
The timing of the trial has implications beyond the criminal case since Trump is actively running for president again.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct that the defense opposes the motion.
