Special counsel Jack Smith asks judge to delay next steps in Trump election interference case
Special counsel Jack Smith is asking the judge overseeing former President Donald Trump's federal election interference case for more time to propose a timetable for future proceedings after the Supreme Court upended the case with last month's immunity ruling.
In a filing Thursday, Smith’s office asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to allow the parties until Aug. 30 to propose next steps. If the request is granted, it would give prosecutors three more weeks to consult with other parts of the Justice Department on a way forward in a case that focuses on Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
"Although those consultations are well underway, the Government has not finalized its position on the most appropriate schedule for the parties to brief issues related to the decision," prosecutors wrote. "The Government therefore respectfully requests additional time to provide the Court with an informed proposal regarding the schedule for pretrial proceedings moving forward."
The filing notes that Trump's attorneys do not object to the request for an extension. Chutkan last week scheduled a status conference for Aug. 16 and told both parties to submit a joint status report detailing a proposed a timeline for pretrial proceedings by Friday.
An attorney for Trump declined to comment Thursday night, and a Trump campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump, who pleaded not guilty in the case, has pushed for his legal battles to be dismissed or at least delayed until after the election.
In a Truth Social post Thursday night, he said the Supreme Court's ruling warranted dismissing a series of cases against him.
"It is clear that the Supreme Court’s Historic Decision on Immunity demands and requires a Complete and Total Dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts," Trump wrote, referring to his legal woes as coordinated "political attacks" and "election interference."
Chutkan last week denied Trump’s motion to dismiss the indictment while adding that he could refile once all matters regarding immunity have been resolved.
Trump's federal election interference case is just one of his legal battles that has been affected by the Supreme Court's presidential immunity ruling last month, which rejected his broad claim of immunity but found that he was entitled to some immunity for official acts while in office.
A Trump-appointed judge in Florida dismissed the classified documents case against him after the Supreme Court's ruling, and a New York judge overseeing his hush money case agreed to delay a sentencing hearing after defense attorneys requested more time to argue that the high court's decision last month warranted a new trial.
Trump had been scheduled to be sentenced on July 11 after a New York jury found him guilty in May on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with hush money his former attorney paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election to conceal an alleged affair. The sentencing hearing is now expected to take place next month.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
