Special counsel in Trump classified docs case asks judge to delay trial until December

Special counsel Jack Smith has asked the judge overseeing former President Donald Trump's classified documents case to delay the start of his criminal trial until December.

The request came in a series of new motions filed late Friday by the special counsel.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon had set a tentative date of Aug. 14 for the start of the trial.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 37 criminal counts related to his handling of classified materials, with prosecutors saying he repeatedly refused to return hundreds of documents containing classified information ranging from U.S. nuclear secrets to the nation's defense capabilities.

In their Friday filings, Smith's team says they believe the pretrial proceedings, including making sure defense counsels obtain the necessary security clearances to review discovery materials, will realistically take more time than the August trial date proposed by Judge Cannon earlier this week.

They have also requested that they be able to file under seal the list of witnesses that they believe Trump and his codefendant, presidential valet Walt Nauta, should be barred from speaking to about the case as it moves toward trial.

Of note, the special counsel's filings describe the case in simple terms, saying that it "has only two defendants, involves straightforward theories of liability, and does not present novel questions of fact or law."

Trump has denied all wrongdoing in the case, and has dismissed the special counsel's probe as a politically motivated witch hunt.