Trump: judge indicates trial won't start soon: 'There's still a lot of work to be done'

The federal judge overseeing the criminal case over former President Donald Trump's classified documents said in court Friday that "there's a lot of work left to do" before the case goes to trial, despite federal prosecutors' insistence that the trial should begin in the summer."This case can be tried this summer", insisted prosecutor Jay Bratt, a member of special counsel Jack Smith's team, before federal District Judge Eileen Cannon in a Fort Pierce, Florida, court. "We feel very strongly that a trial that takes place before the election is a mistake and should not happen", Trump's attorney Todd Blanchet responded. "The simple solution is to start the trial after the election".Cannon did not issue a ruling, but hinted that the process would not begin on the special counsel's schedule.

Former President Donald Trump arrived for a hearing Friday morning in Fort Pierce, Florida, as his attorneys asked for a trial date on federal criminal charges for possessing classified documents after the 2024 election.Trump was escorted into court by fans of the former president outside the Fort Pierce courthouse at about 9:30 a.m., a half-hour before the hearing began, along with co-defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira. During the hearing, he sat quietly but listened intently to arguments, occasionally whispering with Blanchette.On Thursday, Smith filed a motion to set a July 8 start date for the trial, while Trump's attorneys Todd Blanchette and Christopher Kais in po