President Trump’s lawyers are pushing back against federal prosecutors' efforts to streamline arguments and potential appeals in his 2020 election interference case, warning it could improperly sway the 2024 presidential race.
In a Monday filing in Washington federal court, Trump’s defense team argued that special counsel Jack Smith’s plan to submit an oversized brief concerning whether Trump's actions during his presidency were official or unofficial is improper and should be blocked.
His lawyers noted that such departures from standard procedures could allow prosecutors to impact national elections, “But the situation is even worse here where the Special Counsel’s Office is seeking to do so by turning criminal procedure on its head in order to file a 180-page false hit piece.”
Smith’s prosecutors say the lengthy filing is needed to address the Supreme Court’s rulings on presidential immunity while reducing the potential for appeals. They’ve asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the case, to permit the filing by Thursday. Trump’s attorneys urged Chutkan to reject what they called “this monstrosity,” arguing it amounts to an improper special counsel report and creates a biased list of grievances. They also noted that Smith’s proposal was the type of highly expedited proceedings that the Supreme Court has previously criticized.
Prosecutors from Smith’s office have declined to comment. The filing’s contents may remain partially redacted, as much of it reportedly contains sensitive material under a protective order.
Read the court filing here.
