Former President Trump faces a jam-packed first few months of 2024, with trials and primaries at times occurring on back-to-back days.
The judge overseeing the federal case into efforts to overturn the 2020 election has set the trial to begin on March 4 — one day before Super Tuesday, when at least 14 states hold presidential nominating contests.
The Hill’s Brett Samuels noted that “Trump is facing multiple court dates already next year, and the timing of the cases could mean Trump could be kept off the campaign trail for long stretches of time.”
Those other court dates include a March 25 scheduled start for the New York trial over an alleged hush money scheme and a May 20 start for the trial over Trump’s handling of classified documents after he left office. A trial date for the Georgia case into efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 election results hasn’t been set yet.
Prosecutors in the federal 2020 election case said Monday they’d turned over 12.8 million documents of discovery toTrump’s legal team. His team, which pushed for a 2026 start date, says the March 4, 2024, date doesn’t give them enough time to prepare.
Judge Tanya Chutkan disagreed, while saying the Justice Department‘s proposed Jan. 2 date was too soon. The prosecution argued Trump’s team already had access to around two-thirds of the documents.
Trump responded to Chutkan’s date on Truth Social: “Today a biased, Trump Hating Judge gave me only a two month extension, just what our corrupt government wanted, SUPER TUESDAY. I will APPEAL!”
In all cases where Trump has entered a plea, including the D.C. case, he has pleaded not guilty.
Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Amee LaTour, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here.
The Hawaiian Electric Company acknowledged the first wildfire on Maui earlier this month appears to have been started by downed power lines, while arguing the Maui County Fire Department bears some responsibility for the outcome.
Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones (D), who was expelled over his participation in a gun violence protest and then reelected in a special election, said he’ll call for a vote of no confidence in state House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R).
Meadows pushes to move Georgia case to federal court
Mark Meadows, who served as chief of staff to former President Trump and is one of 19 defendants (which includes Trump) in the Georgia 2020 election case, has been testifying for hours to move his charges to federal court, multiple outlets report.
Meadows aims to assert immunity and get the charges against him dismissed, The Hill’s Zach Schonfeldexplained: “To switch courts, Meadows must show he was a federal officer, the allegations relate to an act taken ‘under color of such office’ and he has a plausible federal defense.”
Four other co-defendants are also requesting their charges be moved to federal court.
WHITE HOUSE
Biden, Harris meet with King family
President Biden and Vice President Harris met with members of Martin Luther King Jr.‘s family 60 years after King met with then-President Kennedy in the Oval Office the day of the March on Washington.
Around a quarter million people participated in the March on Washington in 1963, where King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
Biden is also set to deliver remarks this evening at a reception for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
President Biden will attend a Sept. 11 memorial ceremony in Alaska on his way back from Asia. Vice President Harris will attend a ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York City.
Ukraine claims to have liberated key town
Ukrainian officials said they have liberated Robotyne, in southeastern Ukraine, a development that could help Ukrainian forces push deeper into the Zaporizhzhia region. Russian sources said the fighting in Robotyne is ongoing.
Ramaswamy releases foreign policy platform
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy called for significantly less U.S. international involvement in his newly released foreign policy platform.
“Rather than spending billions projecting power into global vacuums where our allies will not spend to maintain it themselves, we will put America First again—as George Washington urged—as we recalibrate and consider our true interests,” Ramaswamy said. Read more here.
🎧 ONE MORE THING
The Switch Up — March on Washington: 60 years later
The Hill’s Cheyanne M. Daniels looks back at the historic March on Washington, and at where the fight for civil rights stands today, in the latest episode of The Switch Up podcast. Listen here.
The podcast “explores the intersection of race and politics through intimate conversations with leading scholars, advocates and legislators from communities of color.”
PUNDIT CORNER
“60 years after the March on Washington, MLK’s dream has become a nightmare” — Hajar Yazdiha, a professor of sociology at the University of Southern California, faculty affiliate of the Equity Research Institute and an expert in the politics of inclusion and exclusion. (Read here)
“Poll: Biden has to meet these challenges to catch up to Trump” — Douglas E. Schoen and Carly Cooperman, pollsters and partners with the public opinion company Schoen Cooperman Research based in New York. (Read here)
⏲️ COUNTDOWN
30 days until the second GOP presidential primary debate.
140 days until the Iowa Republican caucuses.
435 days until the presidential election.
🗓 ON TAP TOMORROW
President Bidenhosts Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles for a bilateral meeting.
UNDER THE RADAR
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