‘The only coherent principle that emerges from the prosecution’s filings is based on strategic gamesmanship rather than the law.’
In a court filing on Tuesday, former President Donald Trump accused prosecutors of trying to rush his trial after actions by special counsel Jack Smith’s office in three courts.
The case was brought in a federal district court in Washington, which President Trump has since brought into the appeals court. In a surprise move on Monday, Mr. Smith preempted the defense team by asking the U.S. Supreme Court for an immediate review on President Trump’s presidential immunity defense.
That petition came just hours after the special counsel tried to “complicate” President Trump’s appeal, defense attorneys argued in the new reply, by ignoring and arguing against “the Supreme Court’s binding precedent and urges the Court to permit continued pretrial proceedings on a parallel track.”
On Monday, prosecutors had also asked the appeals court to deny a motion to pause district court proceedings pending appeal, while asking the court to expedite its ruling on the matter so that the schedule can stay on track for a March 4, 2024, trial date.
The appellate court then ordered President Trump to respond to this emergency motion by 10 a.m. Wednesday, and the special counsel to file any reply to that by the next morning.
Then on Tuesday, the special counsel filed a motion requesting a hearing in the district court, regarding classified information.
“The only coherent principle that emerges from the prosecution’s filings is based on strategic gamesmanship rather than the law: On behalf of the Biden Administration, the prosecution will do everything that it can to rush to an unconstitutional and fundamentally unfair trial to try to prevent President Trump from winning the 2024 election, which he is currently leading,” the new filing reads.
The defense team has already accused the prosecution of being politically motivated in multiple court filings, echoing President Trump’s public speeches claiming that the indictments against him have come at the behest of President Joe Biden, his chief political rival for reelection.
By Catherine Yang
