WashingtonProsecutors and defense counsel for former President Donald Trump on Thursday discussed the timeline for his trial over attempts to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 election, their first court meeting since October.
“It’s good to see you, you look rested,” U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan told Trump’s lawyer, John Lauro, as the hearing began in a downtown Washington courtroom.
Prosecutors and lawyers for the 78-year-old billionaire spent just over an hour debating the timing of the case, which appears highly unlikely to take place before the Nov. 5 presidential election, and how to address immunity issues raised by a Supreme Court ruling on July 1.
It was the first hearing in the case since Judge Chutkan regained control following the Supreme Court’s unprecedented decision granting broad criminal immunity to the president of the United States for acts in official capacity.
Lauro argued that if the conversations between Trump and his then-Vice President Mike Pence were covered by immunity, then the case should be dismissed.
“If in fact the communications (with Pence) are immune then the entire case is improper and illegitimate,” Lauro said, insisting that a timetable previously proposed by prosecutors would be “enormously damaging” to Trump, who hopes to remain focused on his campaign.
The timing of the election is “not relevant,” the judge said, adding that she “definitely will not be dragged into the electoral dispute.”
Delay the trial
The judge wanted to hear arguments from both sides first and will set a schedule later in the day.
The defense is seeking to delay the trial until after the November election between Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
The former president (2017-2021) and Republican presidential candidate declined to appear at Thursday’s meeting and ordered his lawyers to officially state that he once again declares himself innocent.
Jack Smith, the special prosecutor in the case, issued a revised indictment on August 27 to take into account the Supreme Court ruling, which, however, reiterates the same four charges.
Thus, among others, the accusation against Donald Trump for “conspiring against American institutions” and “undermining the right to vote” of voters for his alleged pressure on local authorities in several key states to invalidate the official results of the elections won in November 2020 by Democrat Joe Biden was maintained.
It was stressed that Trump committed the crimes because he was “determined to remain in power.”
Trump was originally scheduled to go on trial on March 4, but the trial was put on hold while his lawyers pursued their immunity claim to the Supreme Court.
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– 2024-09-10 06:12:55
