Justice Department asks judge to postpone Trump classified documents trial until December

The Justice Department on Friday asked a judge to postpone the trial of former President Donald Trump regarding classified documents until December.

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Prosecutors that are part of special counsel Jack Smith’s team have asked South Florida Judge Aileen Cannon to postpone the criminal trial until Dec. 11 because they say the case has classified information involved and the case requires Trump’s lawyers to get a security clearance, according to The Associated Press. The process for Trump’s lawyers to get a security clearance is currently taking place.

“Even with the prompt production the government has arranged, the inclusion of additional time for defense counsel to review and digest the discovery, to make their own decisions about any production to the government, and for the government to review the same, is reasonable and appropriate,” the Justice Department said in their filing on Friday, according to the AP.

The Justice Department is asking that jury selection starts on Dec. 11, according to The Washington Post. The agency claims that Trump’s lawyers have no objection to postponing the trial date, the AP reported.

Cannon, who is presiding over the case, earlier this week set a date for the trial to start on Aug. 14, the Post reported.

Trump is facing 37 felony counts that include keeping classified documents illegally and obstructing the Justice Department from getting them back, the AP reported.

The Justice Department in its indictment against Trump claims that he allegedly kept 31 classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, and some of the documents had information about a foreign country’s nuclear and military capability, the Post reported.

This week, the Justice Department has started to share evidence with the Trump legal team, according to the AP.

The judge will be the one to make the decision about postponing the trial or not, the AP reported.