The case against Donald Trump on allegations that the former president mishandled classified documents at Mar-a-Lago could be delayed until well into next year, The Guardian reports.
The report follows special counsel Jack Smith’s earlier request to Judge Aileen Cannon to delay the trial until December.
Cannon had previously set Aug. as a tentative date for the start of the trial.
Trump is facing a 37-count indictment that alleges he retained sensitive national security information including nuclear secrets and plans on how to retaliate against an attack.
Hugo Lowell writes for The Guardian “that the complex nature of the US government’s own rules for using such secrets in court, and expected legal challenges, could delay the trial until at least the spring of 2024.”
He will be tried under the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA), which was passed in the 1980s over concerns defense attorneys could use “graymail” by threatening to reveal classified information, which could force prosecutors to drop charges in some cases to prevent such disclosures, the report said.
Lowell writes that “The prosecutors in the Trump case have indicated they want to get to trial quickly, but the complexities of Cipa and Trump’s clear preference for delay – if he wins the election before it gets to trial, the case may be dropped – could significantly push back the government’s proposed timetable.”
