2023-08-28 19:57:00
US presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks in Des Moines, Iowa
by Sarah N. Lynch
WASHINGTON (Archyde.com) – Former U.S. President Donald Trump will stand trial from March 24, 2024 in federal court in Washington for his alleged efforts to reverse his defeat to Democratic rival Joe Biden in the November presidential election. 2020, a federal judge said Monday.
This decision augurs a complicated calendar for the ex-real estate magnate, who aims to return to the White House and is the favorite of the race for the nomination of the Republican Party for the presidential election of November 2024.
It also makes plausible the hypothesis that Donald Trump will face three separate trials in parallel with his electoral campaign. A date for a fourth criminal trial has not yet been set.
Donald Trump should thus appear in Washington on the eve of “Super Tuesday”, a decisive day in the primaries, during which Republican voters in more than a dozen states – including Maine and California – will vote for the name of the candidate of the party in the presidential election.
Via his social network Truth, he announced that he was going to appeal this decision, without giving further details, denouncing once again the political nature of this affair.
Legal experts have ruled that the timing of a trial is not sufficient grounds to appeal. John Lauro, Donald Trump’s lawyer, whose presence was not required on Monday, promised during the hearing to respect the decided schedule, despite his dissatisfaction.
District Judge Tanya Chutkan’s decision comes days after Donald Trump was briefly arrested, then released on bail, by Georgia state authorities on charges of criminal conspiracy to subvert election results in this crucial state where he was narrowly preceded by Joe Biden.
Donald Trump, 77, denies any misconduct and describes the various lawsuits against him as a politically motivated “witch hunt”. He pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.
TRUMP “WILL HAVE TO ACCOMODATE” WITH THE CALENDAR
The first American president to be criminally charged, he also became, during his arrest in Georgia, the first tenant of the White House to have a mug shot.
Donald Trump’s legal setbacks have not affected his status as a favorite in the race for the Republican nomination for the November 2024 presidential election. On the contrary, his popularity rating with the Republican electorate seems to have been reinforced, the polls placing him well ahead of his rivals for the party nomination.
Donald Trump’s lawyers were calling for the Washington trial to open in April 2026, long after the presidential election, saying they needed time to go through the some 12 million pages detailing the evidence collected by the US government against their client.
But District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled on Monday that such a long delay was unnecessary. “The public has the right to a prompt and effective resolution of this matter,” she said further.
Donald Trump is due to appear on March 25 in New York for concealing payments made to a former porn actress.
Another federal trial against him is due to open on May 20, 2024 in Florida in the case of classified documents that he allegedly kept illegally after his departure from the White House in January 2021.
No date has yet been set for his trial in Georgia. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has requested that the trial begin on March 4, but Judge Tanya Chutkan’s decision could affect that schedule.
Tanya Chutkan said Monday that she would consult with the New York court to make sure to avoid potential scheduling conflicts. “Mr. Trump will have to live with the trial date, no matter what schedule it has,” she said.
(Report Sarah N. Lynch, with Kanishka Singh; French version Jean Terzian)
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