Former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial in Washington, D.C. may begin as soon as October, according to reports.
The next hearing in Trump’s 2020 election conspiracy case has been set for Friday the determine what evidence can — and cannot — be used in the case.
Prosecutors are pushing for the trial to begin shortly after, citing the Speedy Trial Act — which holds that when a not guilty plea is entered into the courts, a trial should begin within 70 days of either the defendant’s appearance before the court or the indictment’s filing, depending on which is later.
Prosecutors said Tuesday in a statement that “the ends of justice are best served by a speedy trial.”
That would put the start of his trial sometime in October or November, depending on what motions are filed by the two counsels.
The Friday hearing will be the first one in front of U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who will oversee the case brought by special counsel Jack Smith. Trump appeared before a magistrate judge for his first court appearance last Thursday, where he pleaded not guilty. His appearance at court Friday was waived by Chutkan.
Trump kept up his flamboyant attacks on Smith and vowed to continue talking about his criminal cases on Tuesday. He called Smith a “thug prosecutor” and a “deranged guy” at a campaign rally in New Hampshire.
“I will talk about it. They’re not taking away my First Amendment,” Trump said.
Trump, who is also facing charges in Florida and New York, is also gearing up for a possible fourth indictment, in a case out of Fulton County, Georgia, over alleged efforts by him and his allies to illegally meddle in the 2020 election in that state. The county district attorney, Fani Willis, is expected to bring forward indictments next week.
Trump alluded to that Tuesday, predicting that when it comes to indictments, “I should have four by sometime next week.”
“She’s got a lot of problems. But she wants to indict me to try to run for some other office,” he said.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article