Trump lawyers urge judge to set classified documents trial after presidential election

Lawyers for former President Donald Trump on Friday urged a Florida federal court judge to schedule his criminal trial on charges related to retaining classified documents for after November's presidential election, saying it would be "unfair" to have earlier.

Trump's lawyers, at a hearing, called the new proposal by prosecutors for a July 8 start date for that trial "completely unworkable" and "an impossibility" for Trump, who is the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, according to NBC News.

Defense lawyers noted that Trump, who was attending the hearing in Fort Pierce court, already is scheduled to stand trial in New York state court starting March 25 on charges of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Lawyers for Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith, who is prosecuting Trump, argued to Judge Aileen Cannon that the former president has known about the hush money trial date for months, but only now is calling for a lengthy delay of the Florida case.

Cannon ended the hearing Friday afternoon without issuing a decision on when to schedule the trial.

Trump is charged in the Florida case with keeping classified documents after leaving the White House in January 2021, and with obstructing efforts by government officials to recover those records, which were stored at his Mar-a-Lago private club in Palm Beach.

He has pleaded not guilty.