(RepublicanView.org) – The May 20 trial for former president Donald Trump’s alleged misuse of classified documents in Florida has been postponed indefinitely by the presiding judge.
Special Counsel Jack Smith urged Judge Aileen Cannon to postpone the trial until July 8 to avoid ongoing pretrial scheduling conflicts between his legal team and Trump’s attorneys. However, Cannon issued an order on May 2 detailing her plans to first clear her backlog of additional issues related to the case. It includes a slew of pretrial disputes. Some of them focus directly on documents that prosecutors have considered showcasing during the trial. It indicates that a new date likely won’t be scheduled before the end of July. However, the order does include a timeline that expires the last day of July.
Cannon, a Trump-appointed judge, has been accused of intentionally slowing the pace of beginning pretrial proceedings. Those accusations follow high tensions between Cannon and Smith.
The case will determine whether Trump broke the law in the manner he stored classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. He could potentially face significant prison time if convicted, though legal experts indicate his status as a former president could impact the situation. Trump maintains his innocent plea and has argued the entire case is politically-motivated.
The charges follow an FBI raid of his Mar-a-Lago estate in 2022. During the raid, agents donning military gear descended from helicopters to conduct a thorough search. President Joe Biden was also found to have held on to classified material from his time as Vice President, but special counsel Robert Hur opted not to charge him, arguing that the President would likely be viewed as “sympathetic” and forgetful.
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