A federal judge overseeing Donald Trump's election-fraud case has rejected what a former federal prosecutor described as a "sneaky" attempt by Trump to delay proceedings. According to former prosecutor Joyce Vance, Judge Tanya Chutkan allowed special counsel Jack Smith to submit a 180-page opening brief, despite objections from Trump's legal team, which argued that the court's page limit in Washington, D.C., was only 45 pages.
In her ruling, Judge Chutkan criticized the Trump legal team for its "incoherent" arguments, noting that they devoted just one sentence to the page-limit issue, while the rest of their nine-page filing rehashed objections to the case schedule. The judge previously addressed these scheduling concerns when Trump's attorneys were given the chance to raise them earlier. Newsweek reached out to Trump's attorney for comment but had not received a response by Thursday.
Trump faces four charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, including actions leading up to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. He has pleaded not guilty and maintains that the case is part of a political witch hunt. The opening brief, expected to be filed soon, will present evidence supporting the charges against him.
Writing on her blog, **Civil Discourse**, Vance highlighted Judge Chutkan's swift dismissal of Trump's objections, stating that Trump's legal team likely hoped to delay the trial. Vance added that the judge was not swayed, emphasizing that Trump’s attempt to postpone the process was based on concerns about the release of potentially damaging evidence during the 2024 election cycle.
Trump's legal argument suggested it was unfair to release evidence against him "at this very sensitive time in our nation's history." However, Vance noted that the brief is expected to provide the most detailed version of the case against Trump yet, and that Jack Smith's lengthy document is intended to address all possible immunity claims early in the case, as mandated by the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling on presidential immunity.
The updated indictment, now 36 pages long, places more focus on Trump's private actions rather than presidential ones, aligning with the Supreme Court's July 1 ruling on how immunity applies to a sitting or former president.
Comments
Post a Comment