Former President Donald Trump cheered Friday when a federal decide set his labeled paperwork trial to begin May 20.

The date ensures the path will unfold deep into the 2024 main season, when it must be clear if Mr. Trump would be the GOP nominee to tackle President Biden.

“The extensive schedule allows President Trump and his legal team to continue fighting this empty hoax,” the Trump marketing campaign mentioned in a press release. “Crooked Joe Biden is losing and attempting to use his weaponized DOJ against his top political rival — a disgraceful and un-American abuse of power. Crooked Joe will fail and President Trump will win back the White House for the American people.”

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon set the date after reviewing requests from prosecutors for a trial round December and a bid from Mr. Trump’s attorneys for an indefinite delay.

Special counsel Jack Smith secured a federal indictment from a grand jury in Florida for Mr. Trump’s alleged storage of labeled paperwork at his Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach and efforts to thwart archivists who wished the papers.

Mr. Trump faces 31 federal counts of willful retention of nationwide protection info and one depend every of conspiracy to impede justice; withholding a doc or report; corruptly concealing a doc or report; concealing a doc in a federal investigation; executing a scheme to hide; and making false statements and representations.

SEE ALSO: Federal decide in Fla. units May 2024 trial date for Trump doc case

His valet, Walt Nauta, additionally faces expenses associated to the motion of paperwork and representations he made to investigators.Mr. Trump says he did nothing unsuitable, citing his powers as a former president, and pleaded not responsible.

In setting a trial date, Judge Cannon mentioned she needed to weigh the will for a speedy trial in opposition to the complexity of the case.

“As the record reveals, discovery in this case is exceedingly voluminous and will require substantial time to review and digest in accordance with defendants’ right to a fair trial,” she wrote in her order.

The date for the trial in Fort Pierce, Florida, was set because the world braces for an anticipated second federal trial of Mr. Trump associated to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on the U.S. Capitol and his actions to overturn the 2020 election outcomes. That indictment is within the arms of a grand jury in Washington.

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