WASHINGTON – U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Friday granted special counsel Jack Smith’s request for more time to propose next steps in the government’s election interference case against the former president. Donald Trump.
The ruling came a day after Smith and other prosecutors asked a judge to delay the deadline for providing a new schedule for the case until Aug. 30.
Chutkan had given prosecutors and Trump’s legal team until Friday to submit a joint status report that included a trial schedule before an Aug. 16 status conference.
The special counsel’s office said in a filing Thursday that prosecutors are still evaluating the “new precedent” set by the Supreme Court’s ruling on Trump’s immunity.
“Although the negotiations are well under way, the government has not yet confirmed its position on the most suitable time frame where the parties can briefly inform about the issues related to the decision,” the office of the special legal representative said. “The government therefore respectfully requests additional time to provide the court with an informed presentation of the timeline for the proceedings to proceed. The defense does not oppose the government’s request for a continuance.”
Smith asked Chutkan to give them and Trump’s lawyers until August 30 to submit a joint status report and schedule a status conference after that. Friday’s order granted the deadline extension and moved the status conference to Sept. 5.
The appeals process ensured that a trial would not take place before Election Day on November 5.
In each of the four criminal cases brought against Trump, the former president and his legal team have sought to delay the trial as much as possible in order to run out the clock before the election or to have charges thrown out.
Last weekend, Chutkan denied Trump Sr.’s motion to dismiss the election interference charge, which was filed before the Supreme Court took up the case.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
