Special Counsel Jack Smith blasted former President Donald Trump’s arguments for delaying his classified documents hearing until after the 2024 election as “distorted and exaggerated” in a court filing Monday.
Prosecutors in Smith’s office asked a Florida judge to reject the Republican presidential front-runner’s bid, saying the request would give the Trump side about 14 months until trial — far more than is needed to prepare a defense.
Lawyers for Trump, 77, on Thursday asked for his May trial date to be delayed “until at least mid-November 2024,” claiming that Smith’s office has yet to fulfill its obligation to turn over discovery evidence in the case – which accuses the 45th President of hiding documents privately at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Trump’s lawyers claim that 25% of classified documents set to be used during the trial have still not been turned over to them, and that there are not enough secure facilities for them to review the records.
Donald Trump’s bid to delay the trial in the documents case should be rejected, prosecutors said Monday.REUTERS
Smith’s office, however, said prosecutors had immediately turned over all the unclassified documents to the Trump camp, according to court papers.
The classified materials – except those subject to stricter security measures – were all made available to the defense on Friday, they said in the filing.
The highly sensitive materials that require “special measures” are only “a small subset” of all the classified documents that will be used in the trial, prosecutors claimed.
“Defendants’ allegations regarding relief and secure facilities greatly overstate the impact on their access to confidential discovery and their ability to prepare for trial, and do not warrant a continuance,” the filing said.
Arguments from the Trump camp are “baseless” and their claims of not being able to see classified documents are “distorted and exaggerated,” the feds said.
They also noted that Trump had already unsuccessfully tried to delay the trial just three months ago.
Trump’s lawyers argued last week that Smith’s office failed to turn over all the evidence from “day one” as they said.
Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office says Trump’s claims why delays should be exaggerated.AP A Florida judge should not grant Donald Trump’s request to delay a criminal docket hearing until after the November 2024 election, prosecutors say.Getty Images
The feds then loaded them with more evidence after filing impeachment charges against Trump in July, they claim.
Trump’s lawyer also noted that the Florida trial will go against the former president’s federal trial in Washington DC — related to his alleged attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Last week, the real estate tycoon made several moves to dismiss civil and criminal cases he faces around the country including a failed attempt to stop a $250 million civil fraud case underway in New York.
Trump is accused of stockpiling classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate and then trying to cover them up.AP
The embattled former president also made a motion to dismiss Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s “hush money” criminal case against him last week.
He also faces criminal charges in Georgia for allegedly meddling in the 2020 election in the Peach State.
Trump has denied wrongdoing in all cases and claims he has been targeted in the case as part of a political witch hunt.
His attorney Todd Blanche declined to comment Monday.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
