'Not a surprise': Special counsel seeks 3-week delay in Trump's election interference case

Special counsel Jack Smith has asked a federal court in Washington, D.C. for more time in former President Donald Trump's election interference case as prosecutors grapple with the Supreme Court's recent immunity ruling.

Judge Tanya Chutkan's court had scheduled a status conference for Aug. 16 and instructed attorneys to file a joint status report by Friday proposing a schedule for pretrial proceedings.

However, prosecutors said in court documents posted on the social media site X they are still reviewing the immunity ruling handed down by the Supreme Court in Trump v. United States. The special counsel must comply with Justice Department rules and regulations, including consulting with certain offices within the agency for guidance.

"Although those consultations are well underway, the Government has not finalized its position on the most appropriate schedule for the parties to brief issues related to the decision," the special counsel's office said.

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Prosecutors asked — and Trump's team did not object to — an extension to submit another joint status report by Friday, Aug. 30, and continue the scheduled status conference until a convenient day thereafter.

Kyle Cheney, senior legal affairs reporter for Politico, posted on X that the ball is now in Chutkan's court.

"Chutkan and the DC Circuit seemed ready to move quickly, so there’s a bit of a hurry-up-and-wait sense here," he wrote. "Also seems to put a crimp in the notion pushed by some Smith supporters of a pre-election 'mini-trial.'"

Former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance wrote on X that the delay request was "not a surprise."

"They must separate official from unofficial acts & getting it right is more important than getting it fast," she wrote.

The extension request comes two days after Chutkan rejected eight motions from anonymous parties who sought the right to file to the docket under the Crime Victims Relief Act.

Smith accused Trump a year ago of conspiring to defraud the U.S. and obstruct official proceedings as he whipped up a baseless election fraud frenzy ahead of the Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021.

Trump pleaded not guilty and took a presidential immunity challenge to the Supreme Court, which ruled Trump was protected from prosecution when he pressured the Justice Department to back his election fraud claims.