(The Center Square) – Former President Donald Trump said his crowded legal calendar was inconvenient ahead of the Republican primaries, but he’s confident he can campaign, even from inside the courthouse.
Trump, 77, is leading polls for the GOP nomination, but criminal and civil cases across the country pose challenges with the state-by-state nomination process, which begins Jan. 15 with caucuses in Iowa.
On Wednesday, Trump blamed President Joe Biden and what he calls the “weaponization” of the Justice Department.
“As the leader of the Opposition Party, I should not be forced to campaign from inside a courthouse, which is very doable, but not very Democratic or convenient,” Trump posted Wednesday on Truth Social, his social media platform. “This is where they want me to spend my time and money, but is not the way our system is supposed to work.”
Federal prosecutors have accused Trump of trying to delay his federal criminal cases “at any cost.” Trump and his lawyers have repeatedly argued that prosecutors have proposed unrealistic timelines in the two federal cases.
Trump has said the legal challenges amount to a politically charged witch hunt designed to interfere with his bid to re-take the White House.
“I’m 12 Points up on Crooked Joe Biden – But he’s got the Justice Department and others suing me wherever and whenever possible – WEAPONIZATION, it’s called, and maybe that can make a difference,” Trump posted on Wednesday. “This has never been done on this scale before, not in our Country, but it opens up a very big and dangerous Pandora’s Box. Joe Biden should stop his Election Interfering Thugs before it is too late for him and the rest of the Country.”
Biden has repeatedly declined to comment on Trump’s criminal cases.
The first state primary election is set to take place in New Hampshire on Jan. 23. Nevada’s GOP presidential caucuses are set for Feb. 8 and South Carolina’s Republican presidential primary is Feb. 24.
Then comes the first of Trump’s two federal criminal cases. The Washington D.C. trial is set to start March 4. Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team of federal prosecutors charged Trump with four federal counts related to contesting the 2020 election and the storming of the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. The charges include conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction, and conspiracy against the right to vote and to have one’s vote counted, according to the indictment. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
That trial starts the day before Super Tuesday on March 5, when 15 Republican primaries and caucuses are scheduled to take place.
Next up is the start of Trump’s New York state criminal case on March 25. In that case, Trump pleaded not guilty in April to 34 felony counts related to charges he paid hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels through a lawyer before the 2016 presidential election and covered it up as a legal expense before being elected president.
Then comes the scheduled start of the classified documents case in Florida on May 20. In that case, Trump has pleaded not guilty to 40 felony counts that allege he kept sensitive military documents, shared them with people who didn’t have security clearance, and tried to thwart the government’s attempts to get them back.
The final GOP primaries are set for June before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee from June 15 to June 18. That’s when the party formally chooses its candidate.
Trump’s Georgia criminal trial is set for Aug. 4. In that case, Trump stands accused of trying to interfere in the state’s 2020 election. He has pleaded not guilty.
