Trump to propose trial date to Judge Chutkan in Jan. 6 case

Former President Donald Trump Thursday was poised to propose a trial date in his federal Jan. 6 case as his lawyers negotiate arrangements for him to turn himself into authorities in Atlanta along with 18 co-defendants in the Georgia election interference case.

Trump was facing a close-of-business deadline to file a proposed trial date with U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan after special counsel Jack Smith last week asked her to start the trial on Jan. 2, days before the third anniversary of the violent attack.

Chutkan has said she will set a date on or before a planned Aug. 28 hearing in the case.

The hard-nosed jurist, who has already presided over more than 30 trials of accused Jan. 6 rioters, warned Trump’s legal team that she is inclined to move swiftly to trial, especially if Trump continues to publicly attack witnesses, judges and prosecutors.

Trump pleaded not guilty to a four-count federal indictment that accuses him of trying to overturn his loss to President Biden in the 2020 election.

The legal action in the federal case comes as Trump’s team negotiates with authorities in Atlanta over his surrender to face the sprawling racketeering case that covers some of the same conduct.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has given Trump and his 18 co-defendants until Aug. 25 to turn themselves in.

Sheriff Pat Labat has said the Trump case defendants will be treated like anyone else and told them to present themselves at a downtown Atlanta jail for booking.

But the Secret Service will likely insist on special security arrangements for Trump, who is under the agency’s protection as a former president.

Meanwhile, right-wing extremists and supporters of Trump are stepping up a campaign of threats and intimidation against those involved in his criminal cases, including the grand jurors who voted to indict him in the Georgia case.

Abigail Jo Shry of Alvin, Texas, was charged with threatening to kill Chutkan, who is currently under security protection. She has admitted calling the federal courthouse in Washington and using the n-word to deride Chutkan, prosecutors say.

“You are in our sights, we want to kill you,” Shry said, according to court papers. “If Trump doesn’t get elected in 2024, we are coming to kill you.”