In a recent development, Special Counsel Jack Smith has launched a counterattack against former President Donald Trump, following the submission of a motion by Trump's lawyers for a stay in the January 6 case in Washington, D.C.
The motion, filed by Trump's legal team on Wednesday evening, stated, "President Trump respectfully requests that the Court stay all proceedings in this case pending resolution of his Immunity Motion." This move came mere hours after Judge Aileen Cannon indicated a potential delay in the classified documents case in Southern Florida.
In the previous month, Judge Cannon had temporarily halted proceedings in Smith's classified documents case, as she deliberates on whether to approve Trump's motion to extend deadlines related to classified material.
Trump's lawyers, Chris Kise and Todd Blanche, had previously accused Smith's prosecutors of employing dilatory tactics to decelerate the discovery process and taking an excessive amount of time to present evidence. They argued that the May trial date renders the schedule "unworkable," as per the motion reviewed by The Gateway Pundit.
Kise and Blanche further argued that Smith's Florida classified documents trial, scheduled for May 20, and his separate March 4 D.C. trial concerning Trump's alleged attempt to obstruct the transfer of power, necessitate "Trump and his lawyers to be in two places at once."
Judge Cannon not only hinted at a possible postponement of Trump's trial but also reprimanded one of Smith's prosecutors in court on Wednesday. As reported by Julie Kelly, who attended the Wednesday hearing, Judge Cannon questioned Smith's prosecutor for an example of the Department of Justice (DOJ) initiating two criminal cases against the same defendant on a "compressed" schedule while demanding trial dates 2.5 months apart. The DOJ prosecutor was unable to provide an answer.
Following a challenging day in court on Wednesday, Smith responded on Thursday morning to Trump's motion for a stay in the January 6 case. He criticized Trump and informed Judge Cannon about Trump's motion for a stay in the D.C. case.
Smith expressed his frustration over Trump's attempts to delay both trials and his use of the D.C. case trial date to postpone the classified documents case in Florida. Smith's strategy to try and convict Trump amidst a presidential election is faltering, as it fails to withstand the scrutiny of a somewhat impartial judge (Cannon).
In a Thursday morning filing, the special counsel stated, "As the Government argued to the Court yesterday, the trial date in the District of Columbia case should not be a determinative factor in the Courts decision whether to modify the dates in this matter," according to ABC News. "Defendant Trumps actions in the hours following the hearing in this case illustrate the point and confirm his overriding interest in delaying both trials at any cost."
An excerpt from ABC News reads:
"The special counsel leading both the classified documents probe and the Jan. 6 election interference investigation says that former President Donald Trump is trying to delay both trials 'at any cost,' after Trumps attorneys filed a motion for a stay in the January 6 case."
Trump's lawyers requested the judge overseeing his federal election interference case to delay all proceedings in the case pending a resolution of their motion to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. This request was made on the same day that Judge Cannon, presiding over Trump's classified documents case, stated she would consider postponing that case's schedule following a motion by Trump's attorneys.
Early Thursday morning, Smith's team alerted Judge Cannon to Trump's motion to stay in the January 6 case, asserting that the motions in those separate proceedings demonstrate Trump's objective to delay both of the trials "at any cost."
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