Judge Chutkan Rejects Offers for Information in Trump Case

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Tuesday quashed six motions as part of former President Donald Trump's federal case related to the 2020 election and his alleged role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

The motions showed up on the court docket one day after Chutkan set a March 4, 2024, trial date that is the day before the "Super Tuesday" primaries in 15 states and one territory as Trump seeks a second term in the White House. Grand jury selection is scheduled to begin as part of a trial that the Department of Justice and special counsel Jack Smith originally hoped to expedite.

Trump and his campaign quickly rebuked Chutkan for the date, saying it deprives him of a fair trial and is a continuation of "the corruption of the witch hunts" against him—a reference to all four of the former president's indictments in which he has maintained his innocence.

Trump attorney John Lauro, who advocated for a 2026 trial date, got into a heated exchange with Chutkan on Monday when he called the prospect of a 2024 trial "absurd." She reprimanded his tone multiple times.

One of the five briefs Chutkan rejected was submitted by an unknown party "in support of Donald Trump," while the others did not stipulate whether they were for or against him.

None of the content of the briefs was provided, containing only the following message on behalf of the court:

"Although Courts have in rare instances exercised their discretion to permit third-party submissions in criminal cases, neither the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedures nor the Local Rules contemplate the filing of amicus curiae briefs," court records said. "At this time, the court does not find it necessary to depart from the ordinary procedures course by permitting this filing."

Three parties mentioned in court records were "D.A. Feliciano," the Galaxy Bar Association and Victor Shorkin.

While the references to Feliciano and Shorkin were unclear, the latter's name is nearly identical to former Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin, who has become a focal information source for House Republicans in their repeated efforts to prove purported criminal wrongdoing by President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.

Shokin recently told Fox News' Brian Kilmeade that he believes the father-and-son duo were "bribed" in association with Hunter Biden's high-powered role at Ukrainian gas company Burisma.

In July, a redacted FBI document pushed for months by Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky alleged that Joe and Hunter Biden each received $5 million from Mykola Zlochevsky, a former elected official and current owner of Burisma.

While some Republicans, including Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Lauren Boebert of Colorado, have repeatedly called for impeachment proceedings for the president in relation to the accusations, the White House maintains that no evidence has been presented to verify their claims.

"This baseless impeachment exercise would be a disaster for congressional Republicans, and don't take our word for it, just listen to the chorus of their fellow Republicans who admit there is no evidence for their false allegations and that pursuing such a partisan stunt will backfire," White House spokesperson Ian Sams said on Monday.

"Instead of continuing their extreme, far-right political warfare to lie and try to politically damage the president, House Republicans should work with him on the issues that really matter to the American people, like lowering costs and creating jobs, or strengthening health care and education."