U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has set a status conference for mid-August in the case involving classified documents against former President Donald Trump. She also rejected his legal team’s request to dismiss the indictment.
The status conference, scheduled for August 13 at a federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., will cover procedural issues and outline the next steps in the case, according to an order signed by Judge Chutkan on August 3.
Chutkan has directed both the prosecution and defense to file a joint status report by August 9. This report should update the court on the case’s progress and may include details on any agreements or disagreements between the parties, as well as completed tasks and upcoming deadlines.
In the same order, Chutkan granted a temporary delay on the deadlines for briefing on special counsel Jack Smith’s motion to restrict the evidence and arguments that Trump’s legal team can present during the trial, especially those deemed irrelevant or prejudicial by prosecutors.
The government’s motion specifically aims to exclude evidence related to Trump’s allegations of selective prosecution, claims of investigative misconduct, and speculative theories about foreign influence or undercover agents during the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Smith also requested that the judge prevent arguments designed to influence the jury with political rhetoric or the potential consequences of a conviction. Additionally, he asked for restrictions on the defense’s cross-examination, including any testimony regarding Trump’s state of mind or his belief that the 2020 election was stolen.
Chutkan’s order also denied Trump’s motion to dismiss the indictment on statutory grounds without prejudice. Trump’s attorneys argued that Smith’s indictment misapplied legal statutes and contended that the charges did not show any acts of deceit or trickery needed to prove conspiracy to defraud the United States, a central allegation in the case against the former president.
Smith’s team has charged Trump with four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruct an official proceeding, in a case focused on the former president’s actions following the 2020 election.
Trump has pleaded not guilty, claiming that the case is driven by political bias and aimed at undermining his 2024 presidential campaign.
Trump’s legal team also contended in their motion to dismiss that Trump’s public statements and efforts to challenge the 2020 election results were lawful exercises of his First Amendment rights and do not constitute obstruction of a government function.
They argued that the indictment fails to provide the necessary specificity to support allegations of corrupt intent and claimed that the legal statutes cited by Smith’s team should be interpreted narrowly to avoid criminalizing legitimate political activities.
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