U.S. district judge Aileen Cannon handed down an order in connection to former President Donald Trump’s classified materials case.
Cannon, in brief Thursday order, instructed all parties involved to obtain security clearances for lawyers who will need them. The order appears to emphasize the sensitivity of the case, as it is dealing with classified materials that a president could access.
“On or before June 16, 2023, all attorneys of record and forthcoming attorneys of record shall contact the Litigation Security Group of the U.S. Department of Justice, if they have not done so already, to expedite the necessary clearance process for all team members anticipated to participate in this matter, and thereafter file a Notice of Compliance” no later than June 20, Cannon wrote.
Over the past week, Cannon has faced significant pressure and criticism from mainstream media outlets, claiming that because she was appointed by Trump, the judge would act in a biased manner that favors the former commander-in-chief. Some Democratic lawmakers, too, called on the judge to recuse herself in the case.
Notably, in August 2022, Cannon barred Justice Department investigators from using classified documents that were obtained during an FBI raid targeting Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort until a special master could review the materials. Cannon said at the time that Trump could suffer “reputational harm” from the search, appearing to make note of leaks to the mainstream media about Trump-related investigations.
“I’m very concerned about her prior rulings and her potential mindset in this case,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters this week. Meanwhile, former attorney general Eric Holder publicly claimed that Cannon lacks the “legal acumen” to handle the case, without elaborating on why.
Cannon, 42, was appointed by Trump in November 2020. She was randomly selected to oversee Trump’s case, which was brought against him by special counsel Jack Smith.
Smith and prosecutors charged Trump with 37 counts stemming from his handling of classified documents. In a court appearance on Tuesday, the former president pleaded not guilty, and on social media, he has frequently written that the case is tantamount to election interference.
After entering his not guilty plea in a Miami federal court, he returned to his resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, and delivered a speech that attacked the Justice Department, Smith, and other federal officials. He said that Smith is a “raging and uncontrolled Trump hater, as is his wife,” arguing that the special counsel is being selective in his prosecution.
“There was an unwritten rule” to not prosecute former presidents and political rivals, Trump told supporters in a speech at his golf club in New Jersey on Tuesday. “I will appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president in the history of America, Joe Biden, and go after the Biden crime family,” he remarked.
He added: “The ridiculous and baseless indictment of me by the Biden administration’s weaponized department of injustice will go down as among the most horrific abuses of power in the history of our country ... this vicious persecution is a travesty of justice.”
According to the indictment, Trump held onto classified documents after leaving the White House, allegedly admitted on tape that they were classified, and that he no longer had the presidential power to declassify them, then refused to return the records when the government demanded them back. Trump has publicly said that he declassified those materials.
The federal charges against Trump come two months after the Manhattan district attorney’s office charged him with 34 counts of allegedly falsifying business information in arranging payments during the 2016 election. He also faces legal jeopardy in Fulton County, Georgia, where local prosecutors have launched a wide-ranging investigation, while a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., continues to probe his activity after the 2020 election.
Polls show that Trump is the GOP frontrunner for the 2024 election, largely ahead of the other Republican candidates. Florida governor Ron DeSantis is behind Trump, with a HarrisX poll showing Trump has 53 percent to DeSantis’ 17 percent.
If convicted on all the charges, Trump, who recently turned 77, could face up to 400 years in prison and nearly $9.5 million in fines. Trump’s aide, Walt Nauta, was also charged in the case, and court documents show that he is to enter his plea on June 27.
Before he was charged, Trump told Politico that he will continue running for president even if he’s convicted in the DOJ case.
