By Aaron Miller
Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office has asked the District of Columbia judge overseeing the 2020 election subversion case against former president Donald Trump to schedule the twice-impeached, thrice-indicted ex-president’s trial for a four to six-week period beginning on 2 January next year.
The special counsel’s office said their proposed schedule would give Mr Trump and his defence team sufficient time to prepare a case and review the evidence that the government is prepared to turn over as part of the discovery process, as well as litigate any pre-trial matters such as the request for a change of venue Mr Trump has said he will call for.
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Donald Trump and his close personal aide Walt Nauta pleaded not guilty to the latest allegations in the federal classified documents case.
The fresh charges accuse the two men and a third aide of conspiring to conceal surveillance footage at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort from the FBI. The former president, 77, and Mr Nauta had already pleaded not guilty to previous charges against them.
The request comes after Trump and his close personal aide Walt Nauta pleaded not guilty to the latest allegations in the federal classified documents case.
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Both men and a third aide are charged with conspiring to conceal surveillance footage at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort from the FBI.
The former president, 77, and Mr Nauta had already pleaded not guilty to previous charges against them.
Mr Trump is fighting on multiple fronts as he mounts his third White House bid.
Meanwhile, the district attorney of Fulton County issued a memorandum to her office staff denouncing a new lie being told about her by Mr Trump and his allies while instructing them to not comment publicly on the matter.
Fani Willis issued the memo after the Trump campaign began running an ad spot in the state suggesting falsely that she had been engaged in an extramarital affair with a rapper who was the target of a racketeering prob
Democratic members of Congress have revived their demands for the resignation of US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas following the largest accounting yet of the gifts, luxury vacations and private travel he received from a group of wealthy benefactors in his years on the nation’s highest court.
“He’s corrupt as hell and should resign today,” US Rep Bill Pascrell of New Jersey wrote on 10 August following ProPublica’s latest investigation.
The outlet’s months-long probe has uncovered previously undisclosed travel, hospitality and gifts from influential billionaires with connections to right-wing interest groups with business before the court – from private flights and yacht cruises to resort accommodations and VIP tickets to sporting events that legal experts argue are likely to violate disclosure requirements.
US Rep Gerry Connolly said that “no Justice should accept these types of gifts.”
“Thomas has repeatedly brought dishonor and ethical malpractice to our highest Court,” he wrote. “I reiterate my call that he must resign. This is exactly why we need SCOTUS ethics reform.”
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