Judge Cannon seems poised to keep special counsel report on Trump classified documents probe from Congress [View all]
Source: CNN Politics
Updated 5:04 PM EST, Fri January 17, 2025
CNN Judge Aileen Cannon suggested Friday she was not inclined to allow the Justice Department to share special counsel Jack Smiths report on the classified documents case with Congress at least for now.
At the end of the day, whats the urgency of doing this right now? Cannon asked Justice Department attorney Elizabeth Shapiro at a hearing in her Ft. Pierce, Florida, courtroom.
Attorney General Merrick Garland earlier this week released the part of Smiths report focusing on January 6 and Trumps attempt to overturn the election. The Justice Department is seeking to show the classified documents report to a handful of members of Congress, but not yet make it public.
Cannon, appointed by Trump in 2020, has had oversight over issues in Trumps criminal case in Florida, where he was charged by the special counsel in connection with allegedly mishandling classified documents taken to his Mar-a-Lago estate. Assigned the case at random, after previously issuing rulings in Trumps favor later overturned by higher courts in a civil case that stymied the investigation into the documents, Cannon drew criticism for delays in the case and then controversially dismissed the charges against Trump, saying Smiths appointment violated the Constitution.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/17/politics/aileen-cannon-classified-documents-special-counsel-donald-trump/index.html