Trump seeks six-month delay in New York fraud case

NEW YORK: Donald Trump is seeking a six-month delay to meet deadlines for gathering evidence in the New York attorney general’s fraud case against the former U.S. president.

The request if granted would likely push back the scheduled Oct 2 trial well into 2024, deep into that year’s presidential campaign. Trump is seeking a second White House term. In a Friday filing in a New York state court in Manhattan, Trump said “fundamental notions of fair play and due process” justified delaying Attorney General Letitia James’ $250 million case.

He said a delay was justified by the “staggering” volume of material and dozens of potential witnesses to question, and that talks with James’ office on an “amicable resolution” broke down.

Trump’s request was joined by the other defendants, including his children Donald Jr, Eric and Ivanka and the Trump Organisation. The defendants are seeking deadlines of Sept 29 for fact discovery, Dec 5 for expert witness discovery, and Dec 8 to provide a certificate of readiness for trial.

James sued Trump and the other defendants in September over their alleged roles in a decade-long scheme to manipulate asset values and Trump’s net worth to win better terms from banks and insurers.