2020 Election Interference: New Delays Loom for Trump in Legal Battle

WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith received an extension on Friday to outline the next steps in the 2020 election interference case against former President Donald Trump, who is the GOP presidential nominee.

This delay prolongs the case proceedings amid the intense presidential race, where Trump competes against Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee.

The D.C. case is among several legal challenges Trump faces after becoming a convicted felon earlier this year.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan mandated both parties submit a joint status report proposing a “schedule for pretrial proceedings moving forward” by Aug. 9. She also scheduled a pretrial meeting for Aug. 16 to determine the case’s progress.

On Thursday, prosecutors requested an extension until Aug. 30 to file the joint status report and delay the status conference until next month. Chutkan approved this request on Friday, rescheduling the pretrial meeting to Sept. 5.

Prosecutors requested this delay to review a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling which states that presidents have full immunity from criminal charges for official “core constitutional” acts, while lacking immunity for unofficial acts.

Prosecutors stated in their report, “the Government continues to assess the new precedent set forth last month in the Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. United States, including through consultation with other Department of Justice components.”

They added, “Although those consultations are well underway, the Government has not finalized its position on the most appropriate schedule for the parties to brief issues related to the decision.”

Smith’s office further requested additional time to offer the Court a well-informed proposal for the pretrial schedule.

Trump’s lawyers did not object to the prosecutors’ extension request on Thursday.

The election subversion case was paused for months during the former president’s immunity claim proceedings. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit unanimously rejected Trump’s claim in February, leading him to appeal to the Supreme Court.

However, the Supreme Court’s July 1 ruling prompted prosecutors to reassess their approach to the election subversion case.

Judge Chutkan now must determine whether Trump’s alleged actions concerning the 2020 election results qualify as “official” presidential acts.

Trump was indicted in August 2023 on four counts related to attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. The charges include conspiracy to defraud the U.S.; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights.

The former president has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denies any wrongdoing.

Additionally, Trump was found guilty in a New York court in May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. His sentencing, originally slated for mid-July, has been postponed until at least September following the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling.