- Judge Aileen Cannon appeared skeptical to Donald Trump's push to delay his federal criminal trial beyond the election of November 2024.
- The judge, whom Trump appointed when he was president, also didn't appear sympathetic to the special counsel's desire to start the trial in December.
- Trump is the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's federal criminal case appeared skeptical Tuesday of the former president's argument that the trial over his handling of classified documents should be delayed beyond the 2024 election, NBC News reported.
But Judge Aileen Cannon, whom Trump appointed to the federal bench, seemed no warmer toward the Department of Justice's position that the trial should begin in mid-December.
The hearing ended without a ruling. But Cannon appeared to brush aside certain arguments, especially one put forward by a defense attorney who argued that Trump would not be able to get a fair jury to hear his case while he remains a top presidential candidate, NBC's Ken Dilanian reported. Trump is the clear frontrunner in the Republican primary field.
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The Tuesday afternoon proceeding marked the first pretrial hearing in the unprecedented federal criminal case against the former president and his aide, Walt Nauta.
Trump faces 37 criminal counts related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving the White House. The most serious charges against him carry 20-year maximum prison terms. He pleaded not guilty to all the counts on June 13. Nauta, Trump's valet and co-defendant, pleaded not guilty earlier this month to six criminal charges.
The hearing took place in federal court in Fort Pierce, Florida, before Cannon, who had presided over a separate legal dispute related to the classified documents that the FBI had seized from Mar-a-Lago.
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She drew criticism from legal experts in that matter when she granted Trump's request to appoint an independent official to review the seized records, temporarily halting the DOJ's investigation.
Tuesday's hearing was originally scheduled in order to address how the sensitive classified information at the center of the case will be handled. But on Monday, Cannon told the parties to be prepared to discuss their proposals for when the trial should start.
This is developing news. Please check back for updates.
