Jack Smith's Prosecution of Trump Abruptly Removed from Court Docket in Surprise Twist
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here in case you missed it.
The public calendar of the Washington, D.C., federal court system no longer shows a date for former President Donald Trump’s trial on charges related to the events of Jan. 6, 2020.
The calendar had previously shown a March 4 trial date, causing a number of Trump supporters to speculate on the meaning behind the change.
According to The Washington Post, however, this was “a sign of what has long been anticipated,” namely that this trial would be delayed because of Trump’s appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on the question of whether he should be considered immune from prosecution for actions he took while president.
Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna nonetheless appeared to see a connection between a letter sent from her office to special counsel Jack Smith’s office.
Within hours of my office sending a letter asking Jack Smith to produce information regarding his investigation, his case against Trump is removed from the docket. Jack Smith owes the American people and Congress answers. https://t.co/zGvI2UJ6Q2 pic.twitter.com/dFw05ELmNR
— Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) February 2, 2024
Luna did not explain why she believed Smith — who does not control the court’s docket — would be the one to provide “answers” regarding the change.
Bill Shipley, an attorney who has represented a number of Jan. 6 defendants, called the idea that the date change meant that the case against Trump would ultimately be dropped “idiotic,” according to Newsweek.
Everyone posting theories about why the US v. Trump DC case was removed from the March 3 calendar — which I noted here yesterday — are making clowns of yourself. Your GUESSES are idiotic.
Tomorrow was the day the Juror questionnaires were supposed to be returned to the Court…
— Shipwreckedcrew (@shipwreckedcrew) February 2, 2024
Shipley explained that most of the jury selection process has apparently not even begun, and that Trump supporters were “making clowns of yourself” with the theories they were posting on social media.
“So all you supposedly ‘In the know’ X-sters, just stop posting nonsensical conspiracy theories about why the Court — NOT JACK SMITH — removed the trial from the March 4 calendar,” he wrote [emphasis original].
Trump himself had not appeared to take any sort of “victory lap” on social media regarding the change on the docket, which would seem to indicate that he and his legal team saw it as no significant win.
“A spokesman for Smith said the office had no comment, and spokespeople for Trump and for the court did not immediately respond to requests for comment,” the Post reported.
The judge in the case, Tanya S. Chutkan, had previously made it clear that “all trial deadlines would be suspended” in the case while Trump pursued the appeal of his immunity status through the D.C. Circuit, the Post noted.
The appellate court heard arguments on Jan. 9, Newsweek reported, but there has been no indication of when the three-judge panel will rule on the matter.
The timing of that ruling may determine the ability of Smith to bring the former president to trial prior to Election Day in November, and may also ultimately affect the schedules of the three other criminal trials Trump is facing.
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