Legal representatives for former President Donald Trump are requesting access to millions of pages of classified documents related to the January 6th, 2021 Capitol riots, potentially causing a substantial delay in his federal trial, possibly extending beyond the next year’s election. Judge Tanya Chutkan must now weigh the motion from Trump’s legal team, seeking classified documents ranging from his presidential schedule to election tabulation data and the presence of undercover officers during the riots.
The defense’s filing specifies 57 groups of documents, including information on informants, undercover agents, and investigations into election fraud and interference during the 2020 election. The defense also seeks President Trump’s daily schedule, audits of election results, and evidence related to foreign campaigns undermining electoral infrastructure.
Prosecutors argue that this motion is an attempt to postpone the trial until after the November 2024 elections, providing Trump with potential strategies as president.
Trump’s attorneys argue that foreign actors posed a more significant risk to the 2020 election outcome and seek information on Russian, Iranian, Venezuelan, Cuban, and Chinese campaigns. The cases, brought by special counsel Jack Smith, are extensive and costly, with Smith attempting to link Trump to the violence on January 6th.
Trump recently received a gag order restricting his ability to freely discuss the trial.