Trump refused to postpone Jan. 6 hearing despite criticizing judge on Truth Social.

U.S.‌ District Judge Sets Hearing Date‍ for Trump’s Case

U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan has rejected former President Donald Trump’s request to delay a hearing related​ to ⁣the 2020 election. Instead, ‍she has scheduled it⁢ for Friday morning, denying Trump’s attorneys’ request for a later date.

Trump’s Allies ⁢in the White House

While Trump will not be present at the hearing, he⁢ has requested his ⁢attorneys John Lauro and Todd Blanche ⁣to ‍represent him. However, Blanche’s availability⁢ is limited due to ​a separate federal case in Florida involving classified documents. On the other ⁣hand,⁣ Lauro could potentially be available on Thursday afternoon.

The prosecutors have offered‍ Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday as possible dates for the hearing.

Trump’s attorneys did not consider Wednesday as an option and ⁢did not provide ‌a reason for excluding Friday. Blanche’s‌ office ‌declined to comment, and Lauro did not‍ respond to inquiries.

Judge Chutkan, known for her tough stance on defendants in Jan. 6 Capitol riot cases, ‍made her decision shortly after Trump criticized her on his⁣ social media platform, Truth Social. Trump linked her to Hunter‍ Biden’s involvement with ⁣a Ukrainian energy company ⁤in 2014.

“The ‍Obama appointed Judge in the FREE⁣ SPEECH Indictment of me by my political opponent, Crooked Joe Biden’s Department of InJustice, shared⁣ professional ties at the law firm ‍that worked for Energy Company Burisma, based in Ukraine, of which Hunter Biden and his associate were ‘proud’ MEMBERS‍ OF THE BOARD,‌ and were ‌paid Millions of Dollars, even though Hunter knew almost NOTHING about Energy.”

Trump further emphasized the⁣ conflict of interest and questioned the law firm’s payment.

The ⁢hearing will primarily focus on the ‍dispute between Trump and special counsel Jack Smith regarding a protective order. Trump’s defense ⁢team argues that Smith’s proposed order is overly restrictive and infringes on his free ‍speech rights. Meanwhile, Smith’s prosecutors ‌claim to have a ‌substantial amount ⁢of sensitive ⁤discovery material that necessitates strict rules.

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