Trump Slams Special Counsel’s Proposed Trial Timeline as ‘Election Interference’
Former President Donald Trump took to social media on Thursday evening to criticize special counsel Jack Smith’s requested expedited timeline
Nik Richie
Former President Donald Trump took to social media on Thursday evening to criticize special counsel Jack Smith’s requested expedited timeline for his 2020 election interference case. Trump dismissed the trial date as an act of “election interference” itself. Smith had filed a motion earlier on Thursday, suggesting a jury selection date of December 11, 2023, and a trial date of January 2, 2024. He cited the gravity of the charges and public interest as reasons for the timeline.
In a post on Truth Social, the GOP frontrunner referred to Smith as “Deranged Jack Smith,” expressing outrage over the proposed trial coinciding with the Iowa Caucuses. Trump labeled this move as “maximum Election Interference with IOWA!” He argued that the trial, due to his First Amendment rights and alleged “massive BIDEN CORRUPTION,” should occur only after the election, similar to what he referred to as “Fake Biden Indictments.”
Former federal prosecutor Elizabeth de la Vega tweeted that the prospect of a January 2 trial seemed to have deeply unsettled Trump. Meanwhile, the trial date for Smith’s other case involving the former president’s retention of national security documents post-presidency had already been scheduled by the presiding judge for May 20, 2024.