Staff Reports
The office of Special Counsel Jack Smith just gave Donald J. Trump’s legal team a big fat nope. They responded to Trump’s request to delay his upcoming trial by saying, “Sorry, not sorry.” The case, United States of America v. Donald J. Trump and Waltine Nauta, has been making headlines everywhere, and Trump’s team thinks they can’t possibly get a fair trial before the next presidential election. They asked the court to withdraw the current scheduling order and put off setting a new trial date until who knows when.
No surprises here. https://t.co/RxkUAyCOHd
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) July 15, 2023
But Smith’s office is not buying it. They basically told Trump’s team to quit whining and get their act together. According to them, the Speedy Trial Act of 1974 says that a trial has to happen as soon as possible, so they proposed a new trial date of December 11, 2023. Now, that’s not too far away, but it’s certainly not right now either. Take that, Trump!
Oh, and Smith’s office had a lot more to say. Trump’s team also had a bunch of concerns about the volume of discovery, the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA) process, and the Presidential Records Act. But Smith’s office was like, “Nah, those concerns don’t matter.” They basically told Trump’s team to stop making excuses and start getting ready for trial. Boom! Smith and his team also called out the defendants for saying they can’t find an impartial jury until after the presidential election. Smith’s office said, “We don’t care about your excuses, we just want to move forward with this trial.” Mic drop.
And let’s not forget about Trump’s lawyers’ claim that their oh-so-busy schedules should allow them to delay the trial. Well, Smith’s office shut that down real quick. They said, “Your schedules don’t mean squat to us. The court’s schedule is more important, so deal with it.” Ouch! The response from Smith’s office ended with a little bow, asking the court to throw away Trump’s pleas for delay and start picking a jury on December 11, 2023. The ball is now in the court’s court. Let’s see what they do with it.
Now, let’s step back for a moment and think about this whole situation. Trump’s team thinks they can just waltz in and demand a delay because they’re too busy campaigning for the next presidential election. Well, newsflash, Trump, the court doesn’t care about your campaign schedule. They care about getting this trial done and dusted. And speaking of dusted, Trump’s team also thinks they can use the Presidential Records Act as an excuse to delay. Come on, guys, this is the first criminal case against a former president. Of course there are going to be some new rulings. But that doesn’t mean we should put off the trial indefinitely. The court can handle it, so let’s stop making excuses and get this show on the road.
I have to hand it to Smith’s office for not giving in to Trump’s demands. They stood up to his legal team and said, “Enough is enough.” They know that the Speedy Trial Act is on their side and that a trial date needs to be set soon. And let’s not forget about the jury selection process. Trump’s team thought they could pull a fast one by saying an impartial jury couldn’t be chosen until after the election. Well, Smith’s office shut that down real quick. They know that a fair trial is possible, no matter what the political climate is.
So, it looks like Trump’s team is out of luck. The court has the final say, and they need to make a decision. Will they listen to Trump’s pleas for delay, or will they follow the law and set a trial date? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. But one thing’s for sure, Smith’s office is not backing down. They’re ready to get this trial started, and they’re not letting Trump’s team stand in their way. You go, Smith! Keep fighting for justice and let’s get this trial on the books.
