© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during an event following his arraignment on classified document charges, at Trump National Golf Club, in Bedminster, New Jersey, U.S., June 13, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky/File Photo
By Andrew Goudsward
FORT PIERCE, Florida (Reuters) – Donald Trump asked a U.S. judge to delay the start of his criminal trial on charges of mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House until after 2024, as he tries to recapture the presidency.
U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is bringing the case against the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination asked for a July 8 start to the trial.
The requests came a day before U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is scheduled to hold a hearing on the timing of the case. Cannon previously pushed back several pre-trial deadlines, but said she would wait until Friday to consider moving the scheduled May 20 trial.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 40 federal counts accusing him of retaining sensitive national security documents at his Florida resort after leaving office in 2021 and obstructing U.S. government efforts to retrieve them.
Trump is charged alongside his personal aide Walt Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira, a property manager at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Trump has repeatedly sought to delay all four of the criminal cases against him, which he has claimed are part of a politically motivated effort to damage his campaign.
Trump is due to face trial in state court in New York beginning on March 25 on charges that he falsified records to pay hush money to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election. The timing of the other three cases remains uncertain and it is unclear if any will go to trial before the November election.