In case against Ex-Skadden Partner, Greg Craig, August Trial Date Eyed

A Washington federal judge has indicated setting an August trial date for Greg Craig, former Obama White House counsel charged last week with misleading the U.S. Justice Department about his work for Ukraine as a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.

After Craig’s lead defence lawyer, Zuckerman Spaeder partner William Taylor III, suggested scheduling the trial in August, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson agreed to the same.

Taylor said, “Your honor, to cut to the chase, we’d like this case to be resolved as soon as possible.”

Federal prosecutor Fernando Campoamor-Sanchez resisted an Aug 5 date saying that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington was “hoping to get a little more time than that.”

The hearing was held just days after Craig pleaded not guilty to charges of lying to the U.S. Justice Department. It ended without Jackson setting a date for the trial, which is expected to take up to two weeks.

Craig appeared before a magistrate judge last week after being charged with making false and misleading statements to the Justice Department about his past work for the Russia-aligned government of Ukraine.

The prosecution case is that Craig omitted information and lied about his work in 2012 preparing a report on the prosecution of former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, a political rival of the country’s president at the time, Viktor Yanukovych.