Start of Trump Classified Docs Case Indefinitely Delayed
A federal judge Tuesday indefinitely delayed the start of former Pres. Donald Trump's trial related to his handling of classified documents after leaving office — making it unlikely the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's case will be heard before the Nov. 5 election....
0:00
/1861
Facts
- A federal judge Tuesday indefinitely delayed the start of former Pres. Donald Trump's trial related to his handling of classified documents after leaving office — making it unlikely the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's case will be heard before the Nov. 5 election.1
- US District Judge Aileen Cannon in a brief order wrote that the court needs time to 'fairly' consider the 'myriad and interconnected' pretrial issues, so picking a start date would be 'imprudent and inconsistent' with the court's mandate.2
- Among the lingering issues are Trump's motions to dismiss the case and determining how to apply the Classified Information Procedures Act in determining what sensitive information can be revealed during the trial.3
- Written arguments aren't due until July 22. US Dept. of Justice special counsel Jack Smith's office didn't comment on Cannon's decision.4
- Trump last June pleaded not guilty to a 37-count indictment accusing him of refusing to return hundreds of documents containing classified information and blocking the government's attempts to secure the documents' return.5
- In addition to this case, Trump is currently on trial in New York for allegedly falsifying business documents, and he is facing federal charges and state charges in Georgia over his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.6
Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2FOX News, 3New York Times, 4USA Today, 5ABC News and 6Daily Wire.
Narratives
- Anti-Trump narrative, as provided by Washington Post. Trump wants to push this case past Election Day — so he can kill it if he wins the presidency — and Cannon is shamefully in lockstep with him. No one should be surprised because Trump appointed her to the bench despite her lack of trial experience, and she's done his bidding since the FBI first obtained the evidence. It's telling that, unlike the judges in Trump's other cases, Cannon has only received praise from him and his allies.
- Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by PJ Media. Smith's case has been on shaky ground for a while and Cannon is wise to put the brakes on. There have been revelations about the handling of evidence by the government — even opening up the idea that the Biden administration set up Trump intentionally. Plus the US Supreme Court hasn't ruled on Trump's potential immunity. Cannon had no choice but to slow things down.
