AFL Files Critical Brief in Support of Donald Trump in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida–Highlighting How Weaponized, Selective DOJ Prosecution Violates the Law
America First LegalMar 01
Trump Classified Docs Case: Sides Spar Over Start Date
Image copyright: Pool/Getty Images News via Getty Images (Feb. 15, 2024)
The Facts
Former Pres. Donald Trump on Friday appeared in federal court in Fort Pierce, Fa., for a hearing that mainly focused on the start date for his trial related to the criminal case against him over retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence after his presidency.
Trump's team said it would be "unfair" to hold the trial before November’s presidential election, but prosecutors from special counsel Jack Smith's office requested a July 8 start date.
The Spin
Anti-Trump narrative
This trial should start sooner rather than later. Trump's team is pulling out every trick in the book to delay the proceedings against him, hoping that his judicial appointees will do him a favor. He knows that if he delays long enough and wins the presidency in November, he can avoid prosecution.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that Trump's classified documents federal criminal trial will begin by April 3, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
