Trump's lawyers seek to put off trial in election plot case until 2026

Lawyers for Donald Trump have asked a federal judge to put off until 2026 a trial in Washington on charges that the former president plotted to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

The suggested April 2026 date is a counterproposal to the Justice Department's recommendation last week that the trial should begin January 2, 2024.

Special counsel Jack Smith’s team is expected to oppose the Trump team’s request, which seeks to put off his trial until nearly a year and a half after the 2024 presidential election, in which Trump is currently the early front-runner for the Republican nomination.

The question is ultimately up to US District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is expected to set at least a tentative trial date during an August 28 court hearing.

In a court filing on Thursday evening, Trump's lawyers say the years-long delay is warranted because of the “massive” amount of information — prosecutors have already produced more than 11.5 million pages — they have to review and because of scheduling conflicts with the other criminal cases Trump is facing.

As it stands, they said they would have to review about 100,000 pages per day in order to meet the Justice Department's proposed date for jury selection.

They also contend that the case concerns unprecedented questions that will take time to sort out. A four-count indictment issued this month, with charges including conspiracy to defraud the United States, accuses Trump of working to subvert the results of the election in a futile attempt to cling to power.

“No president has ever been charged with a crime for conduct committed while in office. No major party presidential candidate has ever been charged while in the middle of a campaign — and certainly not by a Justice Department serving his opponent,” the lawyers wrote.

“These and numerous other issues will be questions of first impression, requiring significant time for the parties to consider and brief, and for the Court to resolve.”

Trump's 2024 calendar is expected to be packed with court dates and campaign appearances.

And a federal judge in Florida has set a May 20 trial date on charges, also brought by Smith and his team, that Trump illegally hoarded classified documents and concealed them from investigators.

Meanwhile on Thursday night, Trump said he was canceling plans for a press conference next week to unveil what he claims is new evidence of fraud in the 2020 election in Georgia, citing the advice of lawyers.