Earlier this month, District Attorney Fani Willis of Fulton County proposed a trial date of March 4 for her case against Donald Trump. Unsurprisingly, this date aligns with the day before Super Tuesday, when 15 states are set to hold their primary elections. Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia has expressed his opposition to this suggestion.
After resolving the Fulton Georgia case court date, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, appointed during the Obama administration, has set the commencement of Trump’s federal charges for the same date of March 4, 2024. This coincidence is quite intriguing and suggests there may be more to this situation.
Judge Chutkan asserted during the hearing that setting a trial date should not revolve around the defendant’s personal or professional commitments. Regardless of his schedule, Mr. Trump, like any defendant, would be required to accommodate the trial date. Chutkan rejected both the defense and the prosecution’s proposed dates. Special Counsel Jack Smith aimed for a start on January 2, 2024, while Trump’s legal team suggested pushing the trial to 2026. Chutkan firmly stated that a delay until 2026 was not an option.
A Politico report highlights the substantial amount of evidence tied to this case. During Monday’s hearing in Chutkan’s courtroom, the focus was primarily on the extensive evidence handed over to Trump’s defense team. This evidence, amounting to 12.8 million pages or files, originated from sources such as grand jury interviews, the National Archives, the House January 6 select committee’s findings, and materials from Trump’s campaign and PACs.
Prosecutors from Jack Smith’s team indicated that their efforts to provide this information to Trump’s defense were substantially complete, delivered in five installments over recent weeks. They emphasized the meticulous organization, digitization, and annotation of evidence to aid Trump in preparing for trial.
In response, Trump’s attorney, John Lauro, argued that a six-month timeline was insufficient for a comprehensive defense. He contended that the legal team would not be able to provide adequate representation within this timeframe. Judge Chutkan, despite the objection, remained unmoved and declined to consider an adjusted timeline.
Lauro expressed frustration, emphasizing the enormous task of preparing for trial amid over 12.8 million pages of evidence and more than 250 government witnesses. He stressed the monumental nature of this endeavor.
President Joe Biden had previously indicated his intention to use governmental power to prevent Donald Trump from being re-elected as the President. Trump characterized these cases as interference in the electoral process. Biden’s selection of a prosecutor with a partisan background, along with a trial date set by an Obama-appointed judge, is perceived by some as an attempt to impede Trump’s presidential ambitions.
Trump criticized the decision, calling it “election interference,” and promised to bring it up with the D.C. Circuit Appeals Court. On Truth Social, Trump expressed his disbelief by stating: “Today a biased, Trump Hating Judge gave me only a two month extension, just what our corrupt government wanted, SUPER TUESDAY. I will APPEAL!”