Judge denies request to delay former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry’s trial

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A federal judge won’t delay former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry’s trial.

U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden denied the Nebraska Republican’s request on Monday but did not explain his reasoning.

Fortenberry is scheduled to go on trial in February but asked for a delay in hopes that President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general will drop the charges.

SEE ALSO: New trial set for February, again alleging Fortenberry lied to FBI after 2016 fundraiser

He served in the House of Representatives for 17 years, representing Lincoln and the surrounding area.

But Fortenberry resigned in 2021, after being convicted of lying to federal investigators about an illegal campaign donation.

That verdict was thrown out a year ago, when an appeals court ruled that he was tried in the wrong jurisdiction.

SEE ALSO: Former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry gets two years of probation

Fortenberry was put on trial in California because the illegal contribution was made at a fundraiser there.

But the court said he should have been tried in Nebraska or the District of Columbia, which is where he is accused of making the false statements.

In May, prosecutors issued a new indictment against Fortenberry, this time in Washington.

His trial is set for Feb. 3.

SEE ALSO: Evidence conflicts on whether FBI planned, early, to charge Fortenberry