TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Federal Judge Aileen Cannon, a nominee of Donald Trump who was widely criticized for ruling in the former president’s favor during the classified documents case, is expected oversee his criminal indictment — at least at first.
Cannon is reportedly set to preside over Trump’s first appearance Tuesday in Federal District Court in Miami, the latest twist in a legal battle of historical magnitude. It remains unclear at this stage, however, if Cannon will ultimately preside over the entire Trump legal saga.
Two people close to Trump, who were granted anonymity to speak freely, did not dispute that Cannon is expected to initially oversee the case, although it is unclear for how long.
Trump was indicted Thursday in connection with his handling of classified documents after he left the White House, a case stemming from his alleged retention of sensitive national-security documents at his residence in Florida and, further, alleged efforts to impede authorities’ attempts to retrieve them.
While Trump scored a possible win with Cannon, on Friday he also suffered a loss when two members of his legal team, John Rowley and Jim Trusty, left.
While the charges facing the former president are not yet public, information is now trickling out with a key hearing set for Tuesday.
Namely, Trump’s team leaked Friday that Cannon is slated to take up the initial stage of the massive case, something that could be a vital assignment for them.
Cannon already has a history with the case, one that includes granting several legal victories to Trump that left some legal experts puzzled.
She was criticized in September for siding with the former president and his legal team in their request for a special master to review material taken from Mar-A-Lago during the FBI’s search in August of 2022. Some legal experts had publicly bashed Cannon for her ruling, claiming that she was overly deferential to Trump’s legal team and was generally untested. Trump’s former Attorney General Bill Barr even told Fox News that the ruling “was wrong” and “deeply flawed in a number of ways.”
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