"Counsel responsible for preparing the response face the press of other work and require additional time to consult within the government," Deputy Solicitor General Michael R. Dreeben and prosecutor Adam C. Jed wrote in a filing, according to the Post.
The newspaper is seeking to unseal records in the criminal case against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
A response from the special counsel, which is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, is due March 21. The special counsel is now asking a judge to push that deadline to April 1. According to the Post, the newspaper's attorneys did not oppose the special counsel's request for an extension.
In asking for records in Manafort's case to be unsealed, the Post in a previous court filing cited "the profound public interest in these proceedings."