Trump will go on trial six months before the US presidential election

Judge Eileen Cannon has ruled that the trial on classified documents found at the Florida home of former US President Donald Trump (2017-2021) will begin on May 20, 2024, six months before the US presidential election.

Trump is running as the Republican nominee to face incumbent President Democrat Joe Biden in the November 2024 general election.

The former president’s side had requested the judge to adjourn the hearing till the end of the election date.

In a court document attached this Friday (21) to the case summary, Cannon ordered a hearing on May 14, 2024 to discuss the timing and other details of the criminal proceedings, which was originally scheduled to begin on August 14.

The prosecution had sought to change the date to December 11 and asked the judge not to accept the parties’ proposal to adjourn the trial until after the election process.

Commentators in the US press noted that if Trump wins the 2024 election without a trial, he could maneuver to overturn a possible conviction.

The trial will be held in federal court in Fort Pierce, about 200 kilometers north of Miami, where Cannon serves as a judge and was appointed by Trump in 2020 when he was in charge of the White House.

Trump will be joined on the docket in January 2021 by Waldin Nauta, his adviser who served the former president when he left the administration.

The duo, who have pleaded not guilty in court, have been charged with withholding and concealing classified documents, in addition to other related offenses that carry jail terms.

Trump is now facing another criminal case for violations related to the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol by a mob of his supporters who wanted to block Joe Biden’s certification of victory after the 2020 election.

Special counsel Jack Smith is the subject of a grand jury investigation in Washington, Trump said in a letter.

Republicans say he is the victim of “instrumentalization” of the judiciary by the Biden administration to prevent him from reaching the White House again.

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