Lawyers for former US President Donald Trump have asked a judge to postpone his classified documents trial until after next year's US presidential election.
The trial on charges of illegally hoarding classified documents, among four criminal cases the Republican former president is facing, is currently scheduled for May 20, 2024, in Florida.
The defense lawyers argued that a postponement was necessary because of scheduling conflicts — another federal trial is scheduled for March 2024 in Washington, and one of Trump's attorneys, Christopher Kise, is also representing him in an ongoing civil fraud trial in New York — and because of what they say are delays in obtaining and reviewing the classified records cited in special counsel Jack Smith's indictment.
The defence lawyers said they have access to only a "small, temporary facility" in Miami to review classified documents, an arrangement that they say has slowed the process.