Politics

Trump Requests Jan. 6 Federal Trial Date of 2026

AUG 18 2023·Updated AUG 27

Story

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

The Facts

On Thursday, Donald Trump's legal team asked a federal judge in Washington to schedule the former president's trial — concerning the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 Capitol riots — to April 2026.
Reuters
Citing a large amount of evidence handed over by prosecutors — including over 11.5M pages of documents — Trump's lawyers argued that a 2.5-year delay to trial proceedings is necessary.
Politico
The request comes after the Justice Department (DoJ) proposed for the federal trial to begin on Jan. 2, 2024. Trump's legal team asserts that approximately 100K pages must be reviewed daily to meet the prosecution's date.
The Associated Press
While special counsel Jack Smith's team is expected to oppose Trump's request, a decision will be made by US District Judge Tanya Chutkan — who is expected to set a trial date during a court hearing on Aug. 28.
NPR
Trump's lawyers, accusing the DoJ and the federal government of targeting Biden's "primary political opponent," argue that the defense should get time "equal to the government's time spent investigating" the case.
CBS News
Meanwhile, the DoJ has stated that Trump — currently the leading Republican candidate — can receive a "fair and speedy trial" on this case before the 2024 presidential election.
wapo

Sources Split

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RIGHT

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The Spin

Pro-Trump narrative

Trump's impending trials are politically motivated to the point of being comical. While right-leaning media outlets continue to expose continued evidence of corruption by the left, with members of Jack Smith's prosecution team on record as Democrat donors, there seem to be few consequences for the establishment. In light of such cronyism, it's no wonder that the American people want Trump back in the White House.

The Western Journal

Anti-Trump narrative

While many of Trump's legal team's arguments are meritless, delaying a trial is a classic tactic for any defense. There's no reason to believe that the problem of partisanship will have ended after the 2024 election — Trump is merely hedging his bets on a presidential victory to dismiss each case and pardon himself from his crimes.

The Daily Beast