A judge indefinitely postponed the criminal trial related to election interference involving former President Donald Trump on Friday. The trial, initially set to commence on March 4 in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., has been delayed due to an ongoing appeal by Trump. This appeal challenges the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Justice in charging him with attempting to unlawfully overturn the 2020 election results against President Joe Biden.
Trump contends that he is immune from prosecution as the alleged offenses are linked to actions taken during his tenure in the White House. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has yet to make a decision on this appeal. If the circuit court rules against Trump, it is expected that he will seek the Supreme Court’s intervention, a move also anticipated by special counsel Jack Smith if the appeals court rules unfavorably for the prosecutor.
Should the Supreme Court decide to hear the appeal, it may extend beyond the original trial date of March 4. Judge Tanya Chutkan’s decision to postpone the trial in Washington potentially paves the way for another trial to commence in late March in a separate criminal case in New York. In this Manhattan Supreme Court case, Trump faces charges related to the falsification of business records tied to a hush money payment made by his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, to adult film star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 election.
Apart from these cases, Trump, who is currently the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination, is implicated in two other criminal proceedings. In a Florida federal court, special counsel Jack Smith has charged him with crimes related to the retention of classified government records after leaving office and obstructing efforts to recover these records. Additionally, Trump faces charges in Atlanta state court for conspiracy concerning his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.
Throughout all these legal proceedings, Trump has consistently pleaded not guilty.
-CNBC PRO-
