Prosecutors in former President Donald Trump’s election interference case in Georgia on Friday proposed starting the trial on Aug. 5, 2024, just months before the November U.S. presidential election.
If that date is accepted by Judge Scott McAfee, Trump could potentially be on trial for allegedly trying to overturn the last presidential election when Americans vote in the next one.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is overseeing the prosecution, said earlier this week that the trial will likely last “many months” and may not conclude until the winter of 2025, well after the Nov. 5, 2024 election.
Trump said he opposed that date in a filing posted shortly after prosecutors made their request. His lawyers have repeatedly pushed to delay all four criminal cases against him.
“Fani Willis has again proven that her case is purely political, designed to interfere with President Trump’s re-election by demanding a trial date in the most vital time in President Trump’s winning campaign,” campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement.
Trump is currently leading his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination by a wide margin. The party will formally pick its candidate at a convention in July following several months of nominating contests.
Trump and 14 co-defendants have pleaded not guilty to racketeering and other charges for allegedly working to overturn his narrow defeat in Georgia following the 2020 election.
