Former US President Donald Trump’s criminal trial over classified documents will begin on May 20, 2024, in Fort Pierce, Florida, according to an announcement by Judge Aileen Cannon.
The decision came after federal prosecutors and defense attorneys presented their preferred timelines during a recent hearing in Fort Pierce.
Judge Cannon, a Trump appointee, had initially scheduled the trial to commence on August 14 but later decided on the May date. The new schedule is a setback for Trump, who had sought to delay the court proceedings until after the presidential election.
Special counsel Jack Smith had requested a December 11 start date, while Trump’s legal team argued for postponing the trial until after the election, claiming that the proposed December trial date would be “unreasonable” and result in a miscarriage of justice.
Trump faces 37 counts related to allegations of willfully retaining national defense information, conspiring to obstruct justice, and making false statements. Additionally, Walt Nauta, a former White House valet, is facing six felony counts for allegedly assisting Trump in concealing top-secret national security files after leaving the White House.
In another criminal trial scheduled to start in March, Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts in Manhattan, pertaining to allegations of falsifying business records connected to hush money payments before the 2016 presidential election.
