The federal criminal case against former President Donald Trump for his alleged attempts to steal the 2020 election is set to move forward later this month, but a trial is unlikely to occur before the 2024 election. After the Supreme Court ruled that former presidents have immunity for official acts but not for unofficial acts, the case was handed back to U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan. She denied Trump’s motion to dismiss the charges, but allowed him to refile once questions about his immunity are resolved.
Chutkan has scheduled a hearing on August 16 to consider the schedule for Trump’s felony criminal case. The charges against Trump include attempting to subvert the election by obstructing Congress and using the Justice Department to convince states to replace legitimate electors with fraudulent ones. The Supreme Court has raised issues about whether these allegations involving the Justice Department are official acts.
While a trial is unlikely before the election, legal maneuvering and hearings on the facts of the case could be politically damaging for Trump. Additionally, he faces sentencing in September in New York for falsifying business records related to hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, and felony charges in two other criminal cases that have not yet been scheduled. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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