An MSNBC legal analyst said Friday that the schedule of former President Donald Trump’s classified documents trial has “no intention” of playing out.
Trump has been trying to delay a trial until after the 2024 presidential election ever since he was indicted on 37 counts in June 2023 for allegedly mishandling classified documents. Former Southern District of New York Criminal Division Deputy Chief Kristy Greenberg told MSNBC host Ana Cabrera that Trump’s legal team continues to set dates that will never work out.
“He put out a date there. I think the only reason that there are dates is, as Lisa said, just to make sure that if, in fact, the Supreme Court rules and there can be a trial in the D.C. case, that the calendar is clogged,” Greenberg said.
Greenberg said that Trump’s legal team intentionally schedules unworkable dates to conflict and ultimately delay the dates of the GOP frontrunner’s other criminal trials until after the 2024 presidential election. She mentioned that Trump’s former aide Walt Nauta, who was also criminally charged, was unavailable on one of the dates set by the former president’s legal team. (RELATED: Former Attorney Tells MSNBC Panel How Trial Delays Could Help Trump)
“It’s interesting because Nauta, actually, is unavailable on the August 12 date, he’s available in September. But they didn’t say “All three of us could be going forward on the September date.’ Why? Because then maybe Judge Chutkan could go in with an August date and get ahead of the calendar,” Greenberg said.
“This is all very strategic,” she continued. “But it’s kind of a ‘wink wink, nod nod. Sure, we’ll have a trial date because you asked us to propose a schedule,’ but there’s no intention. Everything in that filing said, ‘We reserve the right to make all kinds of objections, either that could delay this.’ So the delay tactic strategy will still be fully on display in this case.”
Trump has been indicted four times, facing 91 criminal charges in total.