(TheRedWire.com) – This week, special counsel Jack Smith submitted a court document asserting that former President Donald Trump is attempting to use his ongoing criminal proceedings in New York City as a basis to seek further delays in his separate Florida case regarding the mishandling of classified documents, according to Newsweek.
In the document, Smith highlighted that Trump is requesting an additional delay for his Florida trial, where he faces allegations of unlawfully retaining classified documents. He argues that his current trial in New York over supposed hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels occupies his legal team’s full attention, preventing them from meeting the Florida case’s scheduled deadlines.
Smith pointed out in the filing that the deadline of May 9 for the disclosure of expert witnesses was set by Judge Aileen Cannon, who was fully informed of Trump’s trial in New York at the time. Smith noted that the defense has been aware for months of these deadlines and should have been prepared accordingly.
Contrary to the defense’s claims of being uninformed about Trump’s New York trial when these deadlines were established, Smith described these assertions as clearly inaccurate. He refuted the idea that Trump’s legal team, who have committed to representing him in multiple significant criminal matters simultaneously, should be permitted to use their busy schedule as a reason to indefinitely postpone the Florida trial.
Moreover, Smith emphasized that Trump’s team includes competent local attorneys who are well-equipped to handle necessary tasks in their absence. He urged the court to dismiss this latest attempt by the defense to stall proceedings and to stick to the original timeline set for the case.
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