Donald Trump is widely expected to use his familiar legal tactic of “delay, delay, delay” in an attempt to slow the judicial process for his indictment by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, Politico reported Saturday.
“By dragging out the proceedings between the indictment and his trial, Trump could push the trial deep into the 2024 presidential campaign — with Trump expected to be the top contender for the Republican nomination,” the report states.
“Trump has spent decades refining tactics for prolonging his legal fights as his lawyers attempt to out-wait and outlast the patience of his adversaries. Though a criminal indictment presents him with a different set of options — and obstacles — than his many previous bouts in civil court, there is still a substantial menu for him to choose from.”
Those options include “an attempt to dismiss the entire case, a bid to relocate his trial outside of New York City, an effort to disqualify the prosecutor or judge in his case, a bid to move the case from state to federal court, extensive negotiations over security protocols for his appearances in court and a motion to reduce his charges from felonies to misdemeanors,” according to the report.
Politico predicted that Trump’s delaying tactics will be on display as soon as next week.
“The first indication of Trump’s posture will likely come Tuesday at his arraignment when a deadline will be set for various motions in the case,” it reported. That will be followed by a relatively strict series of “adjournment dates” for other phases of the case.
“One of those deadlines arrives in early May: a 35-day post-arraignment deadline for District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office to provide all relevant documents and evidence to Trump’s defense team. Trump’s attorneys are sure to use each of those inflection points to file a new series of motions, Catherine Christian, a 30-year veteran of the Manhattan district attorney’s office who is now a defense attorney, told Politico.
“If they’re doing their job, they’re going to do everything they can to delay, delay, delay, delay. Every single motion they can think of. That’s what they’re going to file.”
