Special counsel Jack Smith found himself on thin ice with Florida U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who didn’t hold back in her scathing critique of his legal maneuvers against former President Donald Trump.
The heat turned up on Tuesday when Cannon shot down Smith’s attempt to muzzle Trump with a gag order, an action investigative reporter Julie Kelly reported was “wholly lacking in substance and professional courtesy.”
Cannon’s fiery rebuke didn’t end there. She chastised Smith for not giving Trump’s legal eagles enough time to even glance at the motion before it was hurriedly pushed through, writing, “Sufficient time needs to be afforded to permit reasonable evaluation of the requested relief by opposing counsel… Because the filing of the Special Counsel’s Motion did not adhere to these basic requirements, it is due to be denied without prejudice.”
And just when you thought it couldn’t get more intense, Cannon added a stern warning for Smith. She pointed out his habit of burying vital evidence in footnotes—a move that could land him in hot water with court-imposed sanctions unless he changes his tune. Furthermore, Smith must now deliver straight-shooting summaries of Trump’s defense filings, each capped at less than 200 words.
BREAKING: Judge Cannon, as expected, denies Jack Smith's proposed gag order, warns sanctions could be next if he keeps violating the rules. pic.twitter.com/T2Yxb1zvm6
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) May 28, 2024
Smith’s bid to place a gag order on Trump was reminiscent of a similar strategy he successfully employed in a previous federal election interference case. However, unlike the Obama-appointed judge who previously sided with him, Cannon, appointed by Trump, showcased a markedly skeptical stance toward the government’s claims that Trump conspired to hoard sensitive documents after his presidency, even as the National Archives sought their return.
The tension in the courtroom escalated in recent weeks when Cannon admonished a member of Smith’s team to “calm down” after losing their cool during a contentious motion by a Trump co-defendant. Meanwhile, a slew of previously redacted documents was ordered to be unsealed, revealing that prosecutors had threatened a co-defendant’s attorney and colluded with officials to keep Trump’s representatives out of the loop—leading up to the explosive FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago.
As if the stakes weren’t high enough, Judge Cannon threw another curveball by indefinitely suspending Trump’s trial over the classified documents, pointing to ongoing delays stemming from his Manhattan hush money trial. With Election Day looming, the delays from the Supreme Court’s deliberation over Trump’s claims of presidential immunity might just prevent Smith’s case from reaching a verdict anytime soon.
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