I think it’s a “split-the-baby” offer of a trial date by Smith’s team. It’s obviously a terrible choice, starting jury selection just before the holidays. Not seriously meant, in my opinion, except to telegraph to the defense that the prosecution is ready to go and will start just as soon as the judge sets a trial schedule.
The judge is likely to assent to objections by the defense that the holidays are a bad time to start jury selection. In all seriousness, she will probably agree to a trial schedule that starts in maybe mid-February for Trump’s team to review discovery. There will also be as many pretrial motions made by the defense as they possibly can think of (delay tactics). If possible, they’ll be engineered to go up on appeal.
I do think May 1st is kind of a drop-dead date for commencement of jury selection. I don’t think either Smith’s team or the judge will want to cut it that close, though.
I’m calling it now: If any actual court proceedings of any type happen within a month of Christmas, before or after, Trump will claim this is yet another battle in the War on Christmas.
“Failing DOJ crazy-Anti-Trumpers won’t even let a man (celebrate Christmas/Enjoy his Christmas presents) with his family in peace! They DEMAND I show up for their Election HOAX WHICH TRAIL!”
I’m reading a book now about a populist con man (sound familiar?) who was tried while running for president of Ghana in 1979. The defense not only sought delays before the trial, but also during trial by saying that one of the seven defense attorneys was ill/indisposed. Does that work in the U.S.?
He was convicted and disallowed from continuing to run. And he soon got out of prison after the Jerry Rawlings coup. Although a pessimist, I think we will at least avoid that last part of history repeating.
if things go as outlined in document 23. start on jan 2 run 4-6 weeks, depending on the verdict, republicans have a chance to pick someone other than trump for the nominee.
hopefully this will stick close to the dates the prosecution suggests.
an interesting point that was made “on the beat” was that trump thinking he could out game the system announced so early that he forced this timeline.
trump announces early, smith is called in, and within 7 months charges start flying. if he had waited until june of this year, the doj common rule of not interfering with an election would have kicked in.
I’m heading this hijack off at the pass. Let’s please have this discussion elsewhere, or go back and review its endless debate in other threads. Thanks.
The doj can investigate during the election “zone” they do not issue indictments for most crimes by persons in elections during the zone.
The beat had some video of a very baby faced jack smith tonight. The videos showed a very honest, upright man. Something with which trump has no experience. The one video of him in The Hague… shows how he is using that experience on these prosecutions.
