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Former President Donald Trump protests his innocence – again and again.
Photo: Matt Rourke / dpa
There are signs that the start of the trial will be delayed in the criminal case against former US President Donald Trump regarding the taking of secret government documents.
A hearing in court in the state of Florida is scheduled for Friday.
On Thursday (local time), prosecutors and defense attorneys submitted their suggestions for a new schedule: The public prosecutor's office advocated for the trial to begin on July 8th, Trump's defense attorney for a date on August 12th at the earliest, but if possible not until after the presidential election in November.
This emerges from court documents published on Thursday evening.
The trial was actually scheduled to begin on May 20, 2024.
But the judge in charge had already indicated a possible change to the schedule months ago - also because of the other proceedings against the ex-president.
Postponing the trial would be a success for Trump.
The 77-year-old wants to run again for the Republicans in the presidential election at the beginning of November and is the clear frontrunner in the party's internal primaries.
The party will officially nominate its presidential candidate in mid-July.
Four procedures in the election year
Trump sees the various criminal proceedings against him as an attempt to prevent him from returning to the White House.
The ex-president protested his innocence in all proceedings and tried his best to use legal means to delay the trials for as long as possible or to avert them altogether.
Trump was indicted at the federal level last year in the government documents case.
He is accused of illegally storing highly sensitive documents from his time as president (2017 to 2021).
In August 2022, the Federal Police FBI searched Trump's villa and confiscated several sets of documents classified as top secret.
Trump is also accused of conspiring to obstruct the investigation.
In total, Trump is facing four criminal cases against him in the election year: In addition to the process in the documents affair, there is also an election fraud case at the federal level and another in the state of Georgia.
Trump has also been indicted in connection with hush money payments to a porn actress.
Only on Wednesday did Trump achieve an important partial success in his efforts to delay the upcoming legal proceedings against him.
The US Supreme Court accepted Trump's appeal on the issue of immunity from prosecution.
It's about whether or not the Republican can be prosecuted for certain actions during his term as president.
The Supreme Court is now planning a hearing on this at the end of April.
It is therefore unclear whether and when the politically significant trial against Trump for attempted election fraud can begin in Washington.
Trump also used the immunity argument in the Florida case.
muk/dpa