Trump's lawyers seek a pause in Jack Smith's election interference case

Former President Donald Trump's lawyers are working overtime to give their client as much of a break as possible regarding his multiple criminal indictments.

According to JustTheNews, Trump and his legal team recently filed a motion to have the election interference case, initiated by Special Counsel Jack Smith, paused.

The request to pause comes as a higher court takes its time to decide on whether or not to toss the case completely based on whether or not Trump has immunity.

TRUMP TAKES ON CHUTKAN | CALLS FOR PAUSE IN DC CASE https://t.co/1azlbRtOxL

— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) December 8, 2023

Politico noted:

Trump contends that U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan no longer has power over the case while he appeals her ruling that Trump is not immune from the charges he’s facing — a process that could take weeks or months.

Trump's legal defense team argued that the former president is entitled to an "automatic stay" on the matter, citing “political costs to President Trump and this country" if the case were to move forward at this point.

“The filing of President Trump’s notice of appeal has deprived this Court of jurisdiction over this case in its entirety pending resolution of the appeal,” Trump attorneys Todd Blanche and John Lauro wrote. “Therefore, a stay of all further proceedings is mandatory and automatic."

Trump is appealing an earlier ruling by Judge Tonya Chutkan who denied that Trump has immunity in the case and that it should be tossed.

If the case is paused, it would disrupt the March 4 trial date set earlier. The date happens to be right before "Super Tuesday," one of the most important primary voting dates of the election cycle.

Trump's lawyers are so confident in the motion to have the case delayed -- one way or another -- that they're not sticking to any deadlines previously set by the court.

Politico noted:

"Trump’s attorneys indicated that even if Chutkan doesn’t grant the stay, they plan to ask the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to do so and intend to operate as if there is one in place. That could be consequential in a case that is expected to be just three months away from trial. Prospective jurors have already begun receiving initial notices from the courthouse.

Trump's lawyers indicated that prosecutors in the case understand that they can't proceed with the case while an immunity appeal is pending, though they also noted that Smith's prosecutors are leaving the door "partially open" for some proceedings.

Despite his multiple criminal cases and upcoming trials, Trump still enjoys a dominant lead over his GOP opponents in all relevant polls.

Only time will tell if he wins the immunity appeal in this particular case.