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Ro Khanna: Trial Schedules Should Be Set Or Adjusted To Ensure Trump's Ability To Robustly Campaign [1]

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Date: 2023-08-30  

From The Guardian (and from the WTF Department):

Ro Khanna (D-CA 17) was interviewed yesterday by right-winger Hugh Hewitt. The topics included, “Vivek, India, Taiwan, The CCP, Governor Newsom and 2024, AI, And More.” During the course of the interview, Khanna said that trial schedules should be set or adjusted to ensure that Trump will have the opportunity to robustly campaign for Present.

The Guardian put it this way:

“My instinct on all of this is they’re not going to have trials in the middle of something that’s going to compromise a candidate’s ability to have a fair fight,” Khanna said. “I just don’t see that happening in our country.” He continued: “You can’t just say OK, because someone was president or someone is a candidate, that you’re above the law. Everyone is under the law, and that allegations, the evidence needs to be pursued. But what we’re discussing is the timing. “And I do think we need to make sure that in the timing, if Trump does emerge as the Republican nominee, that it does not compromise the ability to have a robust campaign schedule. And I imagine that the courts will take that into consider if he is the nominee.”

The transcript of the interview reads, in pertinent part, as follows:

HH: Well, I’m just curious of your impression of the judge in the federal trial in Washington, D.C. setting the former President’s trial date for the day before Super Tuesday. What do you make of that? RK: Yeah, here’s what I think is going to happen. I think either the former President Trump is going to be the nominee, or not be the nominee. If he’s the nominee, my guess is that there’s going to be a consideration on the, consideration for the Republican nominee to be able to campaign, and the trial dates will take that into account. And if he’s not the nominee, then the trials will move on. But I think the judges will look at this in real time to make sure that they’re not interfering in any way with the election process while still having the court calendar move away at a practical… HH: You may have jetlag still. [Judge Chutkin] set the trial date for the federal trial in D.C. for the Monday before Super Tuesday. She did that [Monday]. RK: Well, that could be moved. HH: Yeah, but she set it yesterday. RK: That could be moved, right? HH: The prosecutors wanted January, Trump said 2026. She compromised on the day before [Super Tuesday], and I just think it’s outrageous. I think it’s a terrible insult to our idea, our fundamental commitment to fair proceedings. And I wonder if it resonated with you that way as well. RK: Well, I’m not sure that that’s going to be the actual date at the end of the day. There’s appeals, there’s an ability to move it. I mean, let’s see what happens. So, but I’m not, you know, I’m a member of Congress. It’s not for me to make the decisions on where the trial dates are going to happen. My instinct on all of this is they’re not going to have trials in the middle of something that’s going to compromise a candidate’s ability who has real traction to have a fair fight. I just don’t see that happening in our country. HH: I don’t think he’s the presumptive nominee, but he is certainly the leader. And I am just amazed that we have four prosecutors who are Democrats running four cases in four different jurisdictions. I guess Jack Smith is one prosecutor doing two cases, and that blue America doesn’t seem to understand that red America thinks this is a complete setup job. Do you understand my concerns about this and how it looks? RK: Well, look, I talk to, obviously, Republican colleagues, and they feel that the timing of it is one which, where Trump, where the charges are too far. I believe that you have to follow the law, and some of the conduct alleged is very, very, very serious. And you can’t just say okay, because someone was president or someone is a candidate, that you’re above the law. Everyone is under the law, and that these allegations, the evidence needs to be pursued. But what we’re discussing is the timing. And I do think we need to make sure that in the timing, if Trump does emerge as the Republican nominee, that it does not compromise the ability to have a robust campaign schedule. And I imagine that the courts will take that into consideration if he is the nominee. You know, he may not be the nominee. I mean, that’s still a, that has to be determined.

Khanna is a trained lawyer. Earlier in the interview, he states that he practiced technology law, and that he never defended anyone in a criminal proceeding. Notwithstanding his lack of experience as a criminal defense attorney, I find it pretty astounding that Khanna thinks that Court schedules should be set or adjusted to allow Trump to robustly campaign for the White House.

No one has a right to be President (unless he or she is Constitutionally qualified, and he or she has won a Presidential election). Everyone has a duty to submit to the legitimate jurisdiction of a criminal or civil court, regardless of other demands on his or her time, and regardless of his or her preferences.

U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan (who, unlike Khanna, actually did do criminal-defense work before she was elevated to the Federal Bench) got it exactly right the day before Ro Khanna participated in the interview by Hugh Hewitt.

"Setting a trial date does not depend and should not depend on a defendant's personal obligations," the judge said. She said setting a trial date while considering a professional athlete's schedule would be "inappropriate" and the same would be true in a case involving a former president running to return to the White House. "I take seriously the defense's request that Mr. Trump be treated like any other defendant appearing before this court, and I intend to do so," said the judge, a longtime former public defender.

Link.

Representative Khanna should read what Judge Chutkan has said, and then he should take it to heart.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/30/2190588/-Ro-Khanna-Trial-Schedules-Should-Be-Set-Or-Adjusted-To-Ensure-Trump-s-Ability-To-Robustly-Campaign

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