Judge Aileen Cannon is in over her head
Even as Judge Aileen Cannon sits on the espionage case against Donald Trump, Special Counsel Jack Smith appears to be hard at work. A new document was unsealed, and it indicates that Smith suspected additional obstruction efforts by Trump. Other files are waiting to be unsealed, with Smith insisting that witness names be redacted to protect them, and Trump, of course, wants them unsealed (probably so that he can harass them), but according to Newsweek, the two sides have made a deal. It is obvious that Trump shouldn’t have taken those documents by his attempts to hide them, yet that doesn’t appear to make any different to Cannon, who, this month, postponed the trial indefinitely. According to reports, Cannon said she has eight “substantive” motions that will take until July for rulings. Given her rulings and confusion on certain laws, she probably needs three months to make sense of the motions. She needs to lose her job.
Earlier in May, Newsweek reported that former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade believes that Cannon is harming national security by holding up this trial. She specified what she meant: “What ally would share their intelligence secrets with us, knowing that Trump would regain access soon if elected, with no accountability for breaching their trust?” Many are wary of Cannon’s motives. Jennifer Rubin wrote an opinion piece about Cannon for the Washington Post. She thinks that, perhaps, “the federal trial may be too complicated for her.” Rubin went on to say that Cannon’s delays and other critical rulings show Cannon’s inexperience, including her asking the parties to write up jury instructions and her failure to understand the Presidential Records Act. That would take a quick read to understand. Perhaps she doesn’t want to understand. Legal experts are right there with Rubin.
When Cannon delayed the start of this trial indefinitely, Norm Eisen spoke to Newsweek to share his thoughts: “I’m not surprised, but I am disgusted. Whether she’s doing it out of partiality for the former president or is just a lousy jurist, this latest blunder by Judge Cannon takes the cake.” It’s hard to say which it might be for Cannon, but it is telling that the Eleventh Circuit Court of appeals has overturned her decisions numerous times. Eisen further said: “This case should have been tried to a verdict already and would have been if any normal judge had gotten it.” Several lawyers have said that Cannon is “out of her league” on this case, and they would love to see her recused. Why the special counsel hasn’t made that move yet is a mystery. She is obviously biased.
It is a damned shame that someone appointed to protect the liberties of citizens has gone so awry. She has been appointed to a lifetime job, and she can’t even respect the duties of that job. Will she use these same tactics when another criminal defendant appears before her, or are these reserved only for Donald Trump? Not only should she be recused, but she should also be kicked off the bench.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years