The Justice Department said during the latest hearing in Trump’s classified documents case that it had no limitations that would prevent them from prosecuting Trump during the election.
Garrett Haake of NBC News posted:
@KenDilanianNBC reports great news from documents scheduled for hearing today is that the Justice Department says the policy of not taking action close to elections does NOT apply after indictments (hence, trials). This means federal Trump trials could be underway during the fall campaign/vote.
Trump had hoped he could run out the clock so special prosecutor Jack Smith couldn’t try him before the election, but criminal trials are not covered by the Justice Department’s policy of not taking action close to the election. This is horrible news for the former president, whose entire plan is to delay federal criminal trials until after the election, so he can return to the White House and order federal criminal cases dismissed.
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Special Prosecutor Jack Smith wants the trial to begin July 8, and Trump’s lawyers want the trial date to be Aug. 12. With four different criminal cases pending, Trump’s team is trying to use the program to create conflicts and bottlenecks that would delay all of his trials.
This won’t happen. There is nothing in Justice Department policy that would prevent Jack Smith from prosecuting Trump on Election Day.
One of Trump’s key assumptions underlying his delay tactics has been shot down.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a member of the White House press pool and a congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
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