Former Federal Prosecutor Warns Trump's Trial Delaying Tactic Could Backfire: 'I Don't Think It's Going To Play Well'

Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann warned that former President Donald Trump‘s strategy of using his trials as a campaign tool could potentially backfire.

What Happened: Trump is allegedly "making the trials the centerpiece" of his 2024 election campaign strategy. However, Weissmann, speaking to MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace, suggested that this approach might be detrimental.

He pointed out that Trump’s attempt to argue that he doesn’t have time for his upcoming criminal trials due to campaigning might not convince the courts, especially when the trials are being made the central focus of his campaign.

"Well, I don't think he's going to do very well with the current motions that he has made in D.C. and in Florida, where he is seeking more time in what the government has said is a transparent effort to ultimately have the trial dates put off," said Weissmann.

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"I don't think it's going to play well when people see that he has ample time to engage in other activities other than preparing for trial," he added.

Why It Matters: The former president is facing several criminal charges, including mishandling classified documents, his efforts to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election, and a civil fraud case in New York.

The lawyers representing Trump in the classified documents case on Wednesday requested a federal judge to delay his trial until after the 2024 election. In a court filing, Trump’s legal team suggested rescheduling the trial from May 20, the date set by Judge Aileen M. Cannon, to mid-November.

This wasn’t the first instance of Trump seeking a trial postponement; he faces accusations of unlawfully retaining numerous classified documents after leaving office and conspiring with two associates to obstruct the government’s repeated attempts to recover them. In July, his attorneys requested an indefinite trial delay as they grappled with the complexities of the case.

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