CNN legal analyst Elie Honig explained over the weekend why special counsel Jack Smith may be crossing a “line” by rushing one of Donald Trump’s criminal trials.
Reacting to Smith’s petition of the Supreme Court to review Trump’s defense in his election interference case, Honig declared on Saturday that “any fair-minded observer” would agree that Smith is motivated by securing a conviction before Election Day — and, thus, politics.
“The motivating principle behind every procedural request he’s made has been speed, has been getting this trial in before the election,” Honig said.
To support his accusation, the former federal prosecutor explained that “the average federal conspiracy and fraud trial takes about a year and a half to two years between indictment and trial,” citing the Jan. 6 protesters who were criminally prosecuted. Smith, on the other hand, tried to shrink that to just five months when he originally requested a January trial date.
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