OAN’s Daniel Baldwin
6:50 AM – Friday, August 18, 2023
45th President Donald Trump’s legal team has requested his federal case regarding his alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election be held in April 2026.
“President Donald J. Trump, through counsel, submits this response in opposition to the government’s proposed trial calendar, Doc. 23, and respectfully requests the Court place this case on the April 2026 trial calendar,” Todd Blanche, one of Trump’s attorneys wrote.
Special Counsel Jack Smith had proposed a trial date of Jan. 2, 2024 and estimated the trial would run from four to six weeks. The 2024 GOP Iowa Caucus is scheduled for Jan. 15, 2024.
Blanche argues that the Department of Justice is attempting to fast track this case to trial, eliminating Trump’s ability to adequately defend himself.
“The government’s objective is clear: to deny President Trump and his counsel a fair ability to prepare for trial,” Blanche said in the court filing.
Blanche points to the enormous amount of discovery expected to be handed over from the DOJ in the case – 11.5 million pages.
“To put 11.5 million pages in some perspective, we began downloading the government’s initial production on August 13, 2023,” Blanche said. “Two days later, it was still downloading.”
“Stated differently, if we were to print and stack 11.5 million pages of documents, with no gap between pages, at 200 pages per inch, the result would be a tower of paper stretching nearly 5,000 feet into the sky,” Blanche continued. “That is taller than the Washington Monument, stacked on top of itself eight times, with nearly a million pages to spare.”
Trump’s attorneys argue that, even on their proposed schedule, they would have to review at least 12,000 pages of discovery material per day to stay on pace for the trial date.
“This is an exceedingly rapid pace, by any measure, and one that will only be manageable with intense diligence,” Blanche explained. “The government’s proposal, by contrast, is flatly impossible. No defendant can reasonably review nearly 100,000 pages of discovery per day.”
Judge Tanya Chutkan has scheduled a hearing on Monday, August 28th to settle on a trial date for the case.
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