NEW YORK (AP) — A February 2020 trial date was set Thursday for a U.S. congressman indicted on federal insider trading charges.
U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick scheduled jury selection to begin Feb. 3, 2020, for U.S. Rep. Chris Collins after prosecutors relaxed their insistence that the trial must occur next year.
The 68-year-old Collins, a Republican, was not in court.
He remains on the ballot for re-election to the 27th District, a right-leaning area between Buffalo and Rochester. Collins has pleaded not guilty.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Hartman had first pushed to have the trial set for next year even as defense lawyers said they needed more time to adequately prepare their case.
“Mr. Collins has been on notice the government was investigating him for some time,” Hartman said, noting that Collins has appeared on television insisting he is innocent of the charges.
The judge said the fact that someone declares their innocence should not be a factor in any decision-making.
“I understand this is someone who has more of a bully pulpit than your average defendant,” Broderick said.
Hartman said it was in the public interest to have a speedy trial.
“It’s not in the interest of anyone to have a question mark hanging over these allegations,” he said.
Hartman said prosecutors were worried that Collins will try to delay the 2020 trial date, saying it’s an election year.
Defense attorney Jonathan New said lawyers for Collins plan to challenge whether some evidence should be permitted to be seen by jurors.
He also said some evidence produced by prosecutors might have been obtained in violation of constitutional privilege protections.
President Donald Trump has said the arrest of Collins and another congressman has jeopardized the GOP’s chances in the midterm election next month.
Collins, a staunch Trump supporter, was arrested in August to charges that he illegally leaked confidential information about a company to his son and the father of his son’s fiancée.
Interesting
If I break the law,
immediate arrest,
bail if I can afford it and then to a speedy trial.
That is what I thought anyway.
Collins (R-NY), Hunter (R-CA) …. I’m starting to recognize a pattern here. A new Rethugliklan reelection strategy appears to be based loosely on “Elect me – I’m indicted!”
No, every felon has the right to aspire to high office.
(See: current occupant of the White House)
There are 2 Americas - in Collins’ America, you get to commit crimes in broad daylight, stay in office and out of jail and delay criminal proceedings indefinitely while you continue to commit crimes and proclaim your innocence over and over.
In the other America, you can be accused of a crime and rot in jail because you can’t make bail even though you are completely innocent.
We are heading for a real reckoning here - these old powerful rich men are not giving up 5% of their power without a bloody and protracted fight.
Right. They’re just not allowed to vote in most places…
Why is he being given almost a year and a half to his trial date? And why is he even on the ballot? He isn’t just “accused” he is INDICTED. Meaning, there is adequate evidence to bring an indictment.
Innocent or guilty, he should not be on the ballot. What if he wins, sits in Congress doing his miscreant best, and then goes to trial for another year, and finally, at the end of his term is found guilty? What happens to all the legislation he wrote, sponsored or voted on?
Our system is broken and the goddamned GOP has willfully broken it. We need to disband that “party” and start over.