Prosecutor in Trump documents case seeks trial delay until December

June 24 (UPI) -- Special prosecutor Jack Smith, who is handling the investigation into former President Donald Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents, is seeking to delay a trial until December, according to court documents.

In a court filing Friday, prosecutors said the sensitive nature of the classified materials in the case would require special considerations.

Prosecutors said the government has conferred with lawyers for Trump and his co-defendant, Trump aide Walt Nauta, in "a good faith effort to resolve" the issues posed by the sensitive nature of the documents and indicated they "do not oppose" postponing the start of a trial from August until December.

The government said that though the case was not particularly "unusual" or "complex" in that it only has two defendants," it does "involve classified information and will necessitate defense counsel obtaining requisite security clearances."

According to the filing, Trump's legal team still needs to file for the appropriate security clearance, which is expected to take between 45 and 60 days.

Earlier this week, District Court Judge Aileen Cannon set the trial date for Aug. 14. The government instead now wants jury selection to begin Dec. 11.

Separately, Trump is expected to go to trial in New York on charges related to alleged hush money payments to adult film actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels.