Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump gestures as he walks with his lawyer Todd Blanche during his criminal trial over allegations he falsified business records to hide money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, in Manhattan State Court in New York City, USA, May 6, 2024.
Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters
A federal judge on Tuesday indefinitely postponed former President Donald Trump’s trial over confidential documents, a court filing shows.
The trial on allegations that Trump intentionally preserved classified national security data after leaving the White House and then hid it from federal authorities was scheduled to begin May 20.
But U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s new ruling overturns that date and sets a new list of pretrial proceedings, the latest of which is a hearing scheduled for July 22.
The ruling casts more doubt on whether Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, will face trial on federal criminal charges before the Nov. 5 election.
Lawyers for Trump have urged Cannon, whom Trump appointed to the federal bench in South Florida, to order the trial after the election.
Cannon wrote in Tuesday’s court order that it would be “imprudent” to set a trial date “at this time” because various pretrial issues still need to be resolved.
Cannon cited outstanding questions about the handling of classified information in the former president’s high-profile trial, as well as “additional pretrial and trial preparation required to present this case to a jury.”
Continuing the trial in May would be “contrary to the court’s duty to fully and fairly consider these issues,” she wrote.
“The Court therefore sets aside the current trial date of May 20, 2024 (and the related calendar) to be reset by separate order upon resolution of the matters before the Court, consistent with the defendants’ right to due process and interest “The public believes in the fair and efficient administration of justice,” Cannon wrote.
Trump is fighting 88 felony counts in four different courts as he pushes to remove President Joe Biden. He is currently on trial in Manhattan Supreme Court on charges of falsifying business records in connection with a $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Whether any of Trump’s other cases will go to trial before Election Day is unclear — and increasingly unlikely after Cannon’s recent ruling.
In addition to the documents case, Trump is charged in federal court in Washington, D.C. with conspiring to overturn his loss to Biden in the 2020 election. He also has to answer in a court in the US state of Georgia for election interference.
Don’t miss these exclusives from CNBC PRO
Source link
2024-05-07 21:58:37
www.cnbc.com