Jamiesfeast – According to a former federal prosecutor, none of the criminal trials involving former President Donald Trump are expected to begin before the presidential election on November 5th.
According to Bill Shipley, a former federal prosecutor with 22 years of experience and now a private attorney representing over 20 defendants from the January 6 incident, he believes that if the cases proceed, there is a high probability of Trump being convicted.
“I have been saying from the beginning that I didn’t believe any of the cases would reach trial before the November election,” he stated on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday. “There are currently four criminal cases against Trump, and the Democrats and Biden are eager for one of them to go to trial. The convictions in these cases are highly likely due to their locations, regardless of the actual merits or evidence involved.”
Federal prosecutor Jack Smith, who is overseeing two of the criminal cases, has repeatedly voiced his frustration with the attempts made by Trump’s lawyers to postpone both cases until after the election.
The federal election interference case in Washington, D.C., which was scheduled to begin on March 4, has been postponed due to Trump’s appeal on presidential immunity grounds. During this delay, Trump’s lawyers have declined to review any documents sent to them by Smith’s office, including a proposed trial schedule and requested documents.
Smith has also accused Trump of hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. However, the case has been plagued with delays due to the handling of the documents that are central to the investigation.
Smith has accused Trump’s lawyers of intentionally slowing down the case, claiming that they have been deliberately prolonging the proceedings. One of the tactics they have employed is requesting secure laptops that cannot be hacked. Smith voiced his concern to Judge Aileen Cannon, stating that Trump’s legal team has been using these requested secure laptops for several weeks now, and they have even used them to draft court briefs.
According to Cannon, the delays have caused her to reschedule pre-trial hearings and create a new timetable. Nevertheless, she has not postponed the trial beyond its anticipated May commencement.
In Georgia, Trump has also faced an indictment for his alleged interference in the 2020 election. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has announced that the trial, which is scheduled to begin in August, will extend beyond the November election and may even continue into January 2025, after inauguration day.
Trump is set to face trial in New York on March 25 for the alleged hush payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
On Thursday, Newsweek reached out to Trump’s lawyer for an email comment. Trump, who is currently the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
According to Newsweek, New York University law professor Stephen Gillers stated that the Florida trial is unlikely to proceed before the election. Additionally, Gillers mentioned that two of the other cases may also face delays extending beyond November.
According to him, the appeals court has not provided any indication regarding the timing of its ruling on Trump’s presidential immunity in the federal election case in Washington.
According to Gillers, the current situation only allows us to discuss probabilities. Just a month ago, it seemed likely that the D.C. trial would proceed as scheduled in early March. However, the silence from the circuit court regarding the immunity claim has altered the outlook. On the other hand, there is a possibility that the court may reject the immunity claim and lift the stay on district court proceedings tomorrow. If that happens, a trial could take place in either early or late April.
The trial in the Florida case was never expected to take place before Election Day. The judge does not appear to be enthusiastic about holding a trial, and the defense motions have provided her with opportunities to postpone it.
According to him, the Georgia court case is still set for August.
“I believe there is a greater than 50/50 chance of that happening,” he stated confidently. “The relationship between Willis and Wade has sparked additional investigations, including ones related to professional conduct. However, regardless of the facts surrounding these inquiries, they should not impede the trial or result in Willis being disqualified. One unpredictable factor is the possibility of Georgia’s oversight authorities intervening and taking over the case from Willis. If this occurs, the trial will not proceed before Election Day.”
In the Georgia case, a hearing has been scheduled to address allegations of an improper romantic relationship involving Willis and Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor working on the case. Both Willis and Wade have been subpoenaed to appear at the hearing.
He said that the Stormy Daniels case is the most likely to proceed as scheduled.
According to the speaker, there is no need to postpone the New York State case. Even if the trial in D.C. is delayed until May or June, the New York trial could still proceed as planned in late March. The speaker also mentions that the order of trials may change depending on developments in D.C. and Georgia, but currently, it seems likely that the New York case will proceed first. However, the speaker emphasizes that the situation could change at any time.