Lawyers for former President Donald Trump on Monday asked a federal judge to postpone a criminal trial for Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents until after next year’s presidential election.
In a filing in federal court in Miami, attorneys for Trump and his co-defendant, personal assistant Walt Nauta, said that “commencing a trial of this magnitude within six months of the indictment is unreasonable, revealing and would result in a miscarriage of justice”. .”
In a filing late last month, prosecutors from special counsel Jack Smith’s team had asked that the trial be postponed until December 11 after a federal judge assigned to the case set a date for the trial on August 14.
Trump was indicted last month on seven criminal charges alleging he mishandled more than 100 classified documents discovered last year at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
He faces 37 counts alleging he willfully withheld national defense information, conspired to obstruct justice and made false statements. He pleaded not guilty.
Monday’s filing highlights that Trump is running for president and says he is likely the Republican nominee – an undertaking that “requires an enormous amount of time and energy, and this effort will continue until the election on November 5, 2024” .
Nauta’s job, according to the filing, requires him to accompany Trump on most of his campaign trips.
Selecting a fair and impartial jury during a presidential campaign makes the prospect of a December trial date even more daunting, according to the filing.
The filing adds that Trump, like his defense attorneys, has “trials already scheduled in other cases” that make the scheduled date “almost impossible.”
Trump hopes to grab the Republican nomination for president in 2024. While no firm date has been set for the Iowa caucuses, the first primary contest is expected to take place in mid-January.
This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com