WASHINGTON Donald Trump told the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday that there is no need to expedite proceedings in the criminal case based on his coup attempt but failed to mention that he would have the power to end that prosecution should he return to the White House before the case is concluded.

In a 44-page filing, Trump lawyers John Lauro, John Sauer and Todd Blanche said prosecutors want to speed up a trial to hurt Trumps 2024 campaign to regain the White House. The combination of an almost three-year wait to bring this case and the special counsels current demand for extraordinary expedition, supported by the vaguest of justifications, creates a compelling inference of partisan motivation, the lawyers wrote.

Special counsel Jack Smith last week asked the high court to step in and quickly settle a question that could otherwise derail the planned March 5 start of that federal trial: whether Trump, as the president at the time, has immunity from prosecution for his actions to remain in power despite losing the 2020 election.

This case involving charges that respondent sought to thwart the peaceful transfer of power through violations of federal criminal law is at the apex of public importance, Smith wrote in his Dec. 11 filing.

The justices later that day gave Trump until 4 p.m. Wednesday to respond to Smiths request. It is unclear whether the court will take up the case and what schedule it might set for arguments if it chooses to do so.

The same question is currently before the federal appeals court for the District of Columbia after U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan denied Trumps request to dismiss the four felony counts against him because of presidential immunity.

Whatever immunities a sitting president may enjoy, the United States has only one chief executive at a time, and that position does not confer a lifelong get-out-of-jail-free pass, she wrote in her Dec. 2 opinion.