Judge Just Dropped The Hammer On Special Counsel Jack Smith With Shock Move
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is closely scrutinizing special counsel Jack Smith in the case involving former president Donald Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents. In a pointed order, Trump-appointed Judge Cannon voiced her concerns about Smith’s handling of confidential materials.
Smith, the lead prosecutor in Trump’s case, disagrees with Cannon regarding her inclination to withhold certain information.
Cannon’s concerns became public following a Sunday court filing in which she criticized Smith’s handling of grand jury proceedings and witness protections in secret.
“The Court deems it necessary to express concern over the Special Counsel’s treatment of certain sealed materials in this case,” Cannon stated.
Central to the dispute is the Special Counsel’s request for redactions in public filings, intended to protect sensitive information and uphold the interests of the justice system. However, Cannon’s recent rulings have opposed these requests.
“In response to those inquiries, counsel explained that the Special Counsel took the position on unsealing in order to publicly and transparently refute defense allegations of prosecutorial misconduct raised. In addition, subject to further unsealing as becomes necessary, this Order marks the resolution of the limited disclosure issues transferred to this Court by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia,” the filing stated. “The Court also notes that the Superseding Indictment contains numerous quotes from grand jury testimony, the balance of which the Special Counsel continues to maintain require sealing.”
“Fair enough. But nowhere in that explanation is there any basis to conclude that the Special Counsel could not have defended the integrity of his Office while simultaneously preserving the witness-safety and Rule 6(e) concerns he has repeatedly told the Court, and maintains to this day, are of serious consequence, and which the Court has endeavored with diligence to accommodate in its multiple Orders on sealing/redaction,” Cannon wrote.
Special Counsel Smith is now asking Judge Cannon to keep these details confidential, despite his earlier support for unsealing the documents. In a previous exchange of pretrial motions, Smith and the defense agreed to make the records public to refute claims of prosecutorial misconduct. However, Judge Cannon is clearly frustrated by Smith’s recent reversal, which has similarly puzzled observers. This shift adds complexity to the case.
“The Court is disappointed in these developments. The sealing and redaction rules should be applied consistently and fairly upon a sufficient factual and legal showing. And parties should not make requests that undermine any prior representations or positions except upon full disclosure to the Court and appropriate briefing.”
Republicans have alleged that Smith, District Attorney Bragg, and other legal opponents of Trump are skeptical of their chances of defeating him in elections. Instead, they claim that the Left is attempting to rig the November election by winning a court case. Forty criminal counts have been brought against the front-runner for 2024 in this case.