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Former President Donald Trump is continuing his strategy of seeking to delay different legal cases, with a new attempt in Florida this week.
On Tuesday, Trump's legal team filed a motion in Florida for his case involving alleged mishandling of classified documents saying that they are "seeking adequate time to file certain motions."
"For the reasons set forth below, the defendants respectfully request permission to file suppression motions and motions relating to evidence sought in the pending motions to compel within one month of the Court's resolution of the pending motions," the filing said.
"Accordingly, the defendants respectfully request that the Court modify the scheduling order to permit the filing of suppression motions and motions relating to evidence sought in the pending motions to compel within one month of the Court's resolution of the pending motions."
The filing this week comes as Trump is facing several legal issues, including the federal indictment by Jack Smith for his alleged mishandling of classified documents that were found at the former President's Mar-a-Lago residence.
Newsweek reached out to Trump's spokesperson via email for comment.
Trump has continued to deny any wrongdoing in the classified documents case, and he is currently facing another indictment by Smith for allegations of election interference, as well as two other cases in Fulton County, Georgia and New York City.
Across his different legal cases, Trump has appeared to delay trial dates as the 2024 election continues to near. The former president is currently the frontrunner in the Republican primary race, leading former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
On Tuesday, a court of appeals in Washington, D.C., denied Trump's claims of presidential immunity in his 2020 election case. In response, attorney and legal analyst Jonathan Turley said that "it was important for the Trump team to push this trial back," in hopes of having it after the 2024 election.
In November, Trump's lawyers sought to delay the Mar-a-Lago classified documents trial until after the 2024 election, but Judge Aileen Cannon denied this request and kept the trial's scheduled beginning date as May 20. Politico reported that Cannon said, however, that she planned to review the scheduling once again in March and consider the requests further.
Neama Rahmani, the President of West Coast Trial Lawyers and a former federal prosecutor, told Newsweek on Wednesday that "Delay is the friend of the former president."
According to Rahmani, if Trump is able to win the 2024 presidential election, it will help his legal cases as there is a "longstanding" Department of Justice precedent that "says he can't be prosecuted."
"South Florida is the best venue for delay because he has a favorable judge in Judge Cannon who seems uninterested in pushing the trial forward before the general election and there are procedural rules related to the discovery and admission of classified documents in the CIPA that require additional briefing and hearings that aren't typically needed in criminal trials," Rahmani told Newsweek.
Similarly, Dave Aronberg, the State Attorney for Palm Beach County, told Newsweek that he believes Jack Smith is aware "that Trump's delay tactics will push this case beyond the 2024 election, particularly because Judge Cannon has shown a willingness to grant Trump's requests for more time and unique access to classified documents."
"Some of these decisions on classified officiants could lead to immediate appeals, which will delay the trial even further. This case is the strongest one against the former president, but it is also the least likely to go to trial before the election," Aronberg told Newsweek.
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About the writer
Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more