Breaking news Friday morning is that Aileen Cannon has scheduled Donald Trump’s classified documents case to go forward May 20, 2024, instead of this December, as Jack Smith had originally requested. The good news is that Donald Trump wanted the case scheduled after November, 2024, in the hopes that he would be reelected and be able to pardon himself. It looks like Cannon decided to split the difference. MSNBC:
At aTuesday hearing in Florida federal court, Cannon was reportedly skeptical of both sides’ positions on trial timing.
A busy trial schedule is shaping up for Trump on criminal matters alone, with his New York hush money trial already set for March 2024. More criminal trial dates could come, both in Georgia and in Smith’s other probe, which, like the Georgia inquiry, centers on 2020 election interference.
Trump and his co-defendant, Walt Nauta, have both pleaded not guilty to the Florida federal indictment, which charges the former president with violating the Espionage Act for unlawfully retaining classified documents; both defendants are charged with obstruction-related offenses. Trump has also pleaded not guilty or denied wrongdoing in the other cases and investigations — and basically everything else in his life as well.
The Republican National Convention starts July 15 and runs through the 18 in Milwaukee. This will be a case of first impression, to see whether the classified documents case has been resolved by that time, or is still running. And of course we don’t know what the status of Trump’s other legal cases will be.
We do know that a lot of the fundraising from MAGA is going straight into his legal bills, another first. Intriguing how people of modest means are paying the legal bills for a billionaire, isn’t it?
Jack Smith and his team are probably laughing at this. They get more time to prepare their case and trump gets a trial smack in the middle of his re-election campaign. Let’s hope Cannon sticks with her decision.
I can only imagine the screams that will come out of the orange abomination’s camp. “I’m being prosecuted for you!” and “We’re gonna do things to someone that have never been done before!” And of course, an unremitting TS barrage of “Send me money!!!” Popcorn time on steroids ++.
“Intriguing how people of modest means are paying the legal bills for a billionaire, isn’t it?”
That same billionaire who said they would self finance their initial election campaign, but of course never did.
Jack Smith is also investigating wire fraud related to Trump’s
fundraising. If the evidence is there, it would be a relatively simple case to present to a jury and get a conviction. Trump could become a convicted felon before the more-publicized cases even go to trial.
And then there’s an insurrection to deal with. Smith can throw that one at Trump before May and another trial date will keep his head spinning.
In a sense, setting the Florida trial for May may turn and bite Trump in the posterior.
Remember – there are also indictments on the way from Georgia and New York and, possibly more federal ones elsewhere.
He could end up being in court for a LOT of his ‘rally’ junkets, especially if the ongoing ones come between December and May – and maybe even later.
I can’t see any judge adjourning a trial just so the defendant can take time off to go and make speeches, especially out of the state.
I recall reading, that despite the lengthy build up of this case, it should not be a long drawn out court proceeding.
Assuming a conviction, it will be in an appeal by the time of the convention.
You’ve recognized the point I’ve tried to make in recent days. For a long time the prevaiing wisdom from news show hosts and their legal talking head guests was this this case was pretty limited in scope. That there was a lot more Smith could have charged Trump with but he appeared to be (and turned out to be) keeping it “tight” – focused on a relatively small number of classified documents. And the time frame between when his lawyers said everything had been returned and (as the search proved) that wasn’t true. They talked about time frames and the election season and how by keeping things so focused and limited this was a case that could be tried quickly, both in trial time and just getting to trial. Procedures for dealing with highly classified documents in public trials had been well-established in a series of prior cases. Rules & procedures as well as case law was there for the folks in FL to use. And again, initially they noted how instead of the whole smash of 130 plus classified items found in the Aug. 2022 search Smith had settled on only about 30. An easily manageable number that he’d probably already run by the classifying authorities about using and getting a (grudging – they’d rather never see anything used in a trial but accept sometimes it’s gotta happen) okay to use them.
THAT was the narrative – that this case was limited enough in scope and that despite issues with national security there was precedent of procedures to rely on THIS was a case that could be litigated/tried perhaps as early as this fall. Certainly by the end of the year and for damned sure early in 2024 before the primaries were in full swing. Especially since instead of doing things the normal way Smith started handing over discovery days after the arraingment. Everything except the classified documents themselves, including a “road map”, a listing of what was actually going to be introduced at trial was in the defense’s hands within a couple of weeks when normally MONTHS would have gone by before discovery started being handed over. That was emphasized – that the defense was getting not just a head-start but HELP from the prosecutors in identifying so soon what the “order of proof” at trial was going to be – the witnesses and exhibits normally don’t get given to the defense until close to trial time. Trump’s lawwyers had it before the end of June.
So again, the narrative wasn’t just that this case could be tried before election season, but how smart Smith had been (and the unconventional steps he took) to ensure the defense had plenty of time to be ready by fall. That there would be no excuses not to proceed unless Judge Cannon went off the rails. That she’d not have any recourse but to allow a quick trial, certainly by Dec. or Jan. at the latest and that trying to string it out to help Trump could get her slapped down again.
THEN all of a sudden the narrative changed. Hosts and guests started talking about how COMPLICATED this case would be, with “complex issues” that seemingly had never been addressed before. It was like NO ONE had ever been tried for stealing classified information before! (complet b.s. but that’s how they sound now) and after a couple of weeks of this becoming the new narrative lo and behold Cannon sets May 24 for the trial, and now to listen to the talking heads even THAT is an incredibly “ambitious” shedule given how “complex” all this is and how hard it will be for the defense to prepare. Ok, so when your client is GUILTY as f**K and there’s a MOUNTAIN of evidence that the village idiot can understand I guess it is hard to prepare a defense! But it’s no reason to delay a trial.
All that as I say begs the question – why the sudden change in the news narrative? I insist the answer is that the news outlet bosses want another 2016 campaign with Trump out there generating ratings and revenue. If he’s convicted yes he’ll appeal but they fear it will end any viability to his candidacy. No Trump, no 2016 windfall so the LAST thing they want is a trial because they’re afraid that even with a Trump friendly jury he’ll be convicted. Hence they passed the word – GIVE THE JUDGE “COVER” to delay things! Make this sound like the most involved, incredibly complex prosecution that’s ever been attempted anywhere on this planet in human history. (Or else….)
Then the narrative CHANGED. All across the board all of a sudden this became an “incredibly” “complex” case that would