(The Center Square) – Former President Donald Trump asked a federal judge Friday to push back the start of his trial for allegedly mishandling classified documents.
The case was previously set to go to trial on May 20. Trump and his defense team asked Judge Aileen Cannon on Friday to set the trial for Aug. 12. Prosecutors asked for the trial to start on July 8.
Cannon did not immediately set a date during Friday’s hearing.
In laying out Trump’s proposed schedule, defense attorneys said it would be difficult for Trump, the 77-year-old frontrunner for the GOP nomination, to get a fair trial this year.
“As the leading candidate in the 2024 election, President Trump strongly asserts that a fair trial cannot be conducted this year,” they wrote.
They also argued that a U.S. Department of Justice rule that prohibits “Actions that May Have an Impact on an Election,” hasn’t been followed.
“Given President Trump’s status as the presumptive Republican nominee and President Biden’s chief political rival, a trial this year would also violate” Justice Department rules, defense attorneys wrote.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 40 felony counts that allege he kept sensitive military documents, shared them with people who didn’t have security clearance, and tried to get around the government’s attempts to get them back.