Trump and co-defendant Nauta request classified documents trial to be delayed past 2024 election

Former President Donald Trump and his co-defendant and former aide Walt Nauta filed a request for the court to delay the trial over their handling of classified documents until after the 2024 presidential election. 

The trial was tentatively scheduled by federal Judge Aileen Cannon for Aug. 14, 2023. Trump's request on Monday is in response to special counsel Jack Smith's push for the trial to be delayed until December 2023. 

Trump did not request a specific trial date, but his court filing states: "Proceeding to trial during the pendency of a Presidential election cycle wherein opposing candidates are effectively (if not literally) directly adverse to one another in this action will create extraordinary challenges in the jury selection process and limit the Defendants’ ability to secure a fair and impartial adjudication."

If the trial is delayed and Trump wins the 2024 election, he could end up using various tools to disrupt the prosecution. For example, he has said before that the president has the power to "self-pardon," although no president has done so before, according to Politico. 

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.