U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has set the date for the trial of Donald Trump on federal charges related to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and those surrounding the January 6 insurrection and attack on the U.S. Capitol after a Monday morning hearing during which the ex-president’s “angry” attorney reportedly became so heated she had to warn him to “take the temperature down.”
After hearing arguments from both prosecutors and the defense attorney, Judge Chutkan announced the trial in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s case alleging Trump attempted to overturn the election results and subvert the peaceful transfer of power will begin on March 4, 2024. Many were quick to note that is the day before the “Super Tuesday” presidential primary.
It appeared to go poorly for Trump’s attorney, John Lauro, who repeatedly refused to budge at all on his requested trial date of April, 2026. Federal prosecutors asked for a date in January of 2024.
Judge Chutkan reportedly made clear neither request was acceptable, stating Trump’s attorneys needed more than five months to prepare, but not two years.
“You are not going to get two more years. This case is not going to trial in 2026,” Judge Chutkan told Trump’s “impassioned” lawyer John Lauro, The Guardian’s Hugo Lowell reported.
“Mr. Trump — President Trump — is entitled to a fair trial. This is a request for a show trial not a speedy trial,” Lauro declared during Monday’s hearing, according to ABC News’ Katherine Faulders.
“Let’s take the temperature down for a moment,” Judge Chutkan said to Lauro as he got “heated over the government’s trial proposal & amount of discovery materials,” Faulders adds.
Chutkan also told Lauro, “I will say that, I don’t doubt from it that you’re working diligently but I will say that you and I have a very, very different estimate of what of the time that’s needed to prepare for this case.”
Professor of law, political commentator, and former Deputy Assistant Attorney General at DOJ, Harry Litman, responded to Judge Chutkan’s “very, very different estimate” remark.
“Comments like this, or calling the Trump submission ‘misleading,’ are very harsh within the decorous confines of the federal court. She’s bringing it,” he said.
After Chutkan set theMarch 4, 2024 date, Lauro said: “We will certainly abide by your honor’s ruling, as we must. We will not be able to provide adequate representation … the trial date will deny President Trump the opportunity to have effective assistance of counsel,” according to Politico’s Kyle Cheney.
Responding to that remark, Litman observed: “So Lauro is upping the ante — he’s telling her that she is violating his due process and sixth amendment rights and creating an issue on appeal. In addition to the bottom line, which is quite bad for Trump, his counsel is now totally crosswise [with] the judge, a terrible position.”
“Chutkan hearing could’ve been worse for Trump, but I’m not sure how,” Litman concludes. “She called his lawyers misleading, obviously took their proposal as a stunt, and set a trial date about as early as she might have. Does trump now fire Lauro?”
Watch MSNBC’s report below or at this link.
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