Special counsel claps back after Donald Trump begs for delay in classified documents trial

Washington DC - The special counsel responded to Donald Trump and his legal team's request to indefinitely delay the classified documents case.

The special counsel in the classified documents case has responded after Donald Trump and his legal team requested that the trial be delayed indefinitely.
The special counsel in the classified documents case has responded after Donald Trump and his legal team requested that the trial be delayed indefinitely.  © Collage: Mandel NGAN & Patrick T Fallon / AFP

In a court filing submitted by assistant special counsel David Harbach to Judge Aileen Cannon on Thursday, prosecutors argue for a mid-December trial date, as opposed to after the 2024 elections as proposed by Trump's attorneys.

"There is no basis in law or fact for proceeding in such an indeterminate and open-ended fashion, and the Defendants provide none," the filing states.

Harbach describes Trump's claims that the Presidential Records Act protects him as "borderline frivolous," and rejected the argument that Trump's busy election schedule should delay the trial.

Trump reportedly plans to toss policy blocking ICE arrests at schools and churches
Donald Trump Trump reportedly plans to toss policy blocking ICE arrests at schools and churches

"Many indicted defendants have demanding jobs that require a considerable amount of their time and energy, or a significant amount of travel," the filing says.

"The Speedy Trial Act contemplates no such factor as a basis for a continuance, and the Court should not indulge it here."

Donald Trump's claims described as "misleading"

The filing also says that the defendant's argument that attorneys need more time to go over the evidence is "misleading," as a third of the 800,000 pages of evidence contains content-free email headers and footers.

In June, the former president was indicted on 37 federal charges related to the removal of classified documents from the White House, as well as alleged obstruction of attempts to recover them from his Mar-a-Lago property.

Judge Cannon will ultimately decide on a designated trial date soon.

Cover photo: Collage: Mandel NGAN & Patrick T Fallon / AFP

More on Donald Trump: