Lawyers for former President Donald Trump are requesting a delay in his classified documents case, citing the need for additional time to secure expert witnesses. One potential expert, who was being considered, informed the defense over the weekend that they could not participate in the case.
In court documents obtained Monday night by Politico, Trump’s defense team seeks an extension of the deadline for expert disclosures until July 8. The current deadline, set by the court, is June 10.
“Defense counsel has been diligently working to identify and engage potential expert witnesses, but the process is not complete,” Trump’s legal team stated. They noted that the recent six-week hush money trial in New York City “made the timing of the expert-notice deadline challenging.”
The defense team explained that a potential expert notified them over the weekend that they could not work on the case. “We are in discussions with other potential experts, but given the need to confirm that witnesses are conflict-free and able to complete the engagement process, we have been unable to finalize our expert engagements by today’s deadline,” the court filing said.
Trump’s lawyers also mentioned they have been reviewing recent productions of classified and unclassified evidence from the Special Counsel’s office and plan to disclose to prosecutors the topics of expert testimony they intend to present at trial by Monday night.
The Special Counsel’s Office opposed the extension, highlighting that the defense has already received two previous extensions and has known about the government’s experts for nearly five months. “The Government assumes that this is the only expert Trump intends to notice because otherwise there is no reason he could not designate the other experts now,” Christopher M. Kise wrote in response.
The defense’s request for more time underscores the complexities involved in the case, particularly given the sensitive nature of classified information and the challenges in securing qualified expert witnesses. As the legal battle continues, the court’s decision on whether to grant the extension will play a crucial role in the timing and proceedings of the trial.