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Washington CNN —The Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC, cleared out a pro-Palestinian encampment on George Washington University’s campus early Wednesday and arrested 30 protesters there and three others in a separate altercation, Metro Police Chief Pamela A. Smith said. Yet after police cleared the encampment, House Oversight Chair James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, announced the hearing was canceled and took credit for spurring action. GW’s encampment was set up about two weeks ago in the University Yard, a grassy square on campus surrounded by a food hall and university buildings. Officers deployed pepper spray three timesPeople listen as activists and students protest near an encampment at University Yard, George Washington University on April 28, in Washington, DC. Ahmed El Masry, a demonstrator at the GW encampment, said he left the encampment at about 2 a.m. but rushed back about two hours later when he heard police were working to clear the space.

Persons: George Washington, Pamela A, Smith, Muriel Bowser, James Comer, Mayor Bowser, ” Comer, Ellen Granberg, “, Kent Nishimura, Jeffery Carroll, GW, ” GW, Ahmed El Masry, ”, …, “ I’m, we’ve, ” Dante O’Hara, ” O’Hara, –, Joyce F, Brown, spokespeople, ” Brown, Chancellor Javier Reyes, George Floyd, Pam Smith Organizations: Washington CNN, The Metropolitan Police Department, Metro Police, Washington, Republican, Police, University Yard, MPD, Yard, George Washington University, GW Police, ”, Police Department’s, DC, Coalition, UMass, Amherst, CNN, Fashion Institute of Technology, University of Massachusetts, NYPD, Massachusetts Daily Collegian, University of Massachusetts Police Department, DC Metropolitan Police Locations: Washington , DC, Kentucky, Gaza, Israel, “, GWU, New York City, Amherst

☆ Why are 3 of Trump’s 4 criminal trials delayed indefinitely?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Trial date: Delayed indefinitely. On Tuesday, Cannon scratched the planned May trial date and did not pencil in a new one. Trial date: Delayed indefinitely. Trump’s effort to disqualify the prosecutor in Georgia continuesIndictment: August 14, 2023. Trial date: Delayed indefinitely.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Disproving, Trump, Aileen Cannon, Cannon, Jack Smith, Trump’s, Ty Cobb, CNN’s Erin Burnett, “, ” Cobb, Burnett, Cobb, ”, Smith, Fani Willis, shouldn’t, Judge Scott McAfee’s, Willis, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Michael Cohen, Cohen Organizations: CNN, Trump, National Archives, White, Court, Seal, The Georgia, Appeals, New Locations: New York, New York , Florida, Georgia, Washington, DC, Florida, Washington ,, Fulton County

☆ Judge’s Decisions in Documents Case Play Into Trump’s Delay Strategy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Alan Feuer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The decision by Judge Aileen M. Cannon to avoid picking a date yet for former President Donald J. Trump’s classified documents trial is the latest indication of how her handling of the case has played into Mr. Trump’s own strategy of delaying the proceeding. It is not impossible that the trial could still take place before Election Day, but the path is exceedingly narrow. And the question of when — or even whether — the charges against Mr. Trump will go before a jury will now largely hinge on how Judge Cannon handles an array of pretrial matters in the next few months, issues that many legal experts have said she could dispense with much more quickly. Judge Cannon, who was appointed by Mr. Trump in his final days in office, has been on the bench for only four years. For months now, she has stood in the glare of the spotlight with each of her most minute decisions scrutinized by an often critical gallery of legal scholars and reporters.

Persons: Aileen M, Cannon, Donald J, Trump’s, Trump, Judge Cannon Organizations: Mr, White

☆ The judge in Trump's classified documents case just gave him exactly what he wanted — again
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Judge Aileen Cannon on Tuesday delayed Donald Trump's classified documents case indefinitely. AdvertisementUS District Judge Aileen Cannon handed former President Donald Trump yet another legal win when she delayed his classified documents case indefinitely on Tuesday. It's just the latest legal win for Trump in the classified documents case handed to him by Cannon. Ty Cobb, a former Trump White House attorney, told CNN on Tuesday that Cannon's latest decision was "a combination of bias and incompetence." In light of Cannon's latest delay, Kalir said it was not surprising given her prior actions on the case.

Persons: Aileen Cannon, Donald Trump's, It's, —, Donald Trump, Cannon, Trump, Jack Smith's, Canon, Katie Charleston, Justice Department —, Paula Reid, Judge Cannon, I'm, She's, aren't, Ty Cobb, galvanizes, Charlie Kolean, Kolean, Tre Lovell, it's, Doron Kalir, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Kalir Organizations: Trump, Service, Business, Justice Department, FBI, Mar, Appeals, Associated Press, Court, Trump White House, CNN, RED PAC, Cleveland State University College of Law Locations: Lago, Southern Florida, Trump's, South Florida, Georgia, New York

☆ Trump's Mar-a-Lago document trial has been delayed again. He now has a chance to dodge it entirely.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago documents trial has been delayed indefinitely. AdvertisementThe judge overseeing Donald Trump's criminal case over his holding onto secret government documents following his presidency delayed the trial indefinitely — giving him the chance to get rid of the charges if he wins the 2024 election. Another criminal case overseen by Smith, in a federal court in Washington, DC, was previously scheduled for March 4. In that case, Smith alleged Trump broke criminal laws through his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Trump's attorneys have also made immunity arguments in the classified documents case.

Persons: Donald Trump's Mar, It's, —, Donald Trump's, Aileen Cannon, Cannon —, Trump, Carlos de Oliveira, Waltine Nauta —, Jack Smith, de Oliveira, Trump's, Stormy Daniels, — Trump, Smith, MANDEL NGAN, Fani Willis, Juan Merchan, Todd Blanche, Blanche, Merchan, reconvene, Cannon Organizations: Trump, Service, Nauta, Republican, Justice Department, US, Getty Images Locations: Lago, Manhattan, Washington ,, AFP, Getty Images Fulton County, Georgia, York, Florida, New York

☆ The Trump hush money trial might be tawdry but it’s likely the only one he’ll face before the election
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

He learned late Tuesday afternoon that Judge Aileen Cannon, whom he appointed, indefinitely postponed a trial in his classified documents case in Florida. She told the jury Tuesday about a $130,000 hush money payment she received from Cohen before the 2016 election. But prosecutors allege Trump falsified business records to hide it and to mislead voters in an early bout of election interference. The judge complained that the ex-president was “cursing audibly” during Daniels’ testimony and was shaking his head. “Am I correct that you hate President Trump?” Necheles asked.

Persons: CNN —, Stormy Daniels, Donald, —, he’s, Trump, scowling, Daniels, Aileen Cannon, Ty Cobb, Cannon, ” Cobb, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Cannon’s, Trump’s, it’s, Michael Cohen, Cohen, He’s, “, Donald Trump, Norm Eisen, CNN’s Wolf, Judge Juan Merchan, audibly ”, ”, Todd Blanche, Jeremy Herb, Merchan, Susan Necheles, Necheles, ” Necheles, ” Daniels, ‘, Let’s, ’, Daniels —, Eric Trump, ” Trump Organizations: CNN, White, Trump, White House, ” Locations: Florida, Lake Tahoe

CNN —Judge Aileen Cannon has indefinitely postponed former President Donald Trump’s classified documents trial in Florida, citing significant issues around classified evidence that would need to be worked out before the federal criminal case goes to a jury. In an order Tuesday, Cannon cancelled the May trial date and did not set a new date. By indefinitely postponing the classified documents trial, Cannon’s order pushes it closer to the 2024 election – and potentially afterward. Although Trump’s attorneys have continuously asserted in court filings that a pre-election trial would be “unfair.”The further delayed trial also could put Trump’s two federal cases on a collision course. Trump is charged in the Florida case with mishandling classified documents and with working with two co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, to obstruct the Justice Department’s investigation.

Persons: Aileen Cannon, Donald Trump’s, Cannon, Trump, Cannon’s, Jack Smith’s, Trump’s, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliveira, Department’s, Biden, Smith, Joe Biden’s Organizations: CNN, Trump Locations: Florida, New York, Washington, DC

Nauta testified to a grand jury two months before the August 2022 search about boxes he took from Mar-a-Lago’s storage room in January 2022. Nauta grand jury testimony could be used at trial against TrumpThe newly unredacted Mar-a-Lago search warrant affidavit and Nauta’s grand jury testimony were included in court filings as part of several challenges Trump and Nauta are making against Smith’s case. 03:33 - Source: CNNNauta’s grand jury testimony could become a notable part of an eventual trial against Trump. Even if Nauta refuses to testify, prosecutors could seek to use his grand jury statements about Trump in their presentation to a jury. According to the affidavit, the Justice Department sought from the Trump Organization Mar-a-Lago’s surveillance footage in the immediate days after Nauta’s grand jury testimony.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Trump, Walt Nauta, Nauta, ” Nauta, Jack Smith, Carlos De Oliveira, vindictively, Lago, FPOTUS, ”, Stanley Woodward, Aileen Cannon, pushback, CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz Organizations: CNN, National Archives, Mar, FBI, Trump, Archives, Justice Department, Trump White House, NARA, Trump Organization, US Locations: Lago, Florida, Mar, Nauta, United States

☆ Judge Postpones Start of Trump Documents Trial Without New Date
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Alan Feuer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The federal judge overseeing former President Donald J. Trump’s classified documents case formally scrapped her own May 20 start date for the trial on Tuesday but declined to set a new one, saying there was much more work to be done before a jury could hear the charges. The decision by Judge Aileen M. Cannon to delay the start of the trial was more or less a foregone conclusion given the number of legal issues that remain unresolved less than two weeks from the date she had originally set. In a brief order, Judge Cannon wrote that picking a new date at this point would be “imprudent and inconsistent with the court’s duty to fully and fairly consider” what she described as “the myriad and interconnected” pretrial issues that she had not yet gotten to. Those included several of Mr. Trump’s pending motions to dismiss the case and a host of thorny questions surrounding how to decide what sorts of sensitive information can be revealed at the trial under a law known as the Classified Information Procedures Act.

Persons: Donald J, Trump’s, Aileen M, Cannon, Judge Cannon

☆ Judge Pushes Back Critical Filing Deadline in Trump Documents Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Alan Feuer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Reversing one of her own decisions, the federal judge overseeing former President Donald J. Trump’s classified documents case granted his request on Monday to postpone the deadline for a crucial court filing in the criminal proceeding, increasing the chance that any trial would be pushed past the November election. The ruling by the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, was made in a bare-bones order that contained no factual or legal reasoning. It did not schedule a new deadline but erased the one she had set almost a month ago ordering Mr. Trump’s lawyers to file by Thursday a detailed list of the classified materials that they intend to introduce at the trial, which is set to take place at some point in Federal District Court in Fort Pierce, Fla.That list is enormously consequential because, when filed, it will mark the first step in what will ultimately be a pitched battle between the defense and prosecution over what sorts of classified materials the jury will get to hear about at trial — a contested process, balancing issues of public access and national security, that could take months to complete. Mr. Trump has relentlessly pursued a strategy of delaying all four of the criminal cases he is facing, and if he succeeds in delaying his trial on charges of mishandling classified documents until after the election, he could order his Justice Department to drop the matter altogether if he wins.

Persons: Donald J, Trump’s, Aileen M, Cannon, Trump Organizations: Court, Department Locations: Fort Pierce, Fla

☆ Judge rejects efforts by Trump’s co-defendants to get obstruction charges tossed in classified documents case
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Tierney Sneed | Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Special counsel Jack Smith’s obstruction case in the classified documents prosecution survived an early test, with a federal judge on Thursday denying several bids by Donald Trump’s co-defendants to dismiss charges against them. Judge Aileen Cannon rejected efforts by Trump’s co-defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira to toss obstruction charges they faced. Nauta works as Trump’s personal valet, and De Oliveira has worked as property manager at Trump’s Florida Mar-a-Lago estate. The Florida judge still has yet to decide several motions by Trump to toss charges against him in connection with allegedly mishandling classified documents and attempting to thwart the Justice Department’s investigation. Attorneys for De Oliveira argued that the obstruction charges he faced should be dismissed because he was not aware of the grand jury subpoenas issued for classified documents kept at Mar-a-Lago when he allegedly moved boxes around the resort.

Persons: Jack Smith’s, Donald Trump’s, Aileen Cannon, Trump’s, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliveira, De Oliveira, Trump, Department’s, Cannon, Nauta’s, De Organizations: CNN, Florida, Mar, Trump Locations: Lago, Florida

☆ Judge in Documents Case Rejects Dismissal Motions by Trump Co-Defendants
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Alan Feuer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The federal judge overseeing former President Donald J. Trump’s classified documents case on Thursday denied initial attempts by Mr. Trump’s two co-defendants to have the charges against them dismissed. The ruling by the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, was the first time she had rejected dismissal motions by the two men, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, both of whom work for Mr. Trump at Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Florida. The men have also been charged with lying to investigators working on the case. At a hearing last week in Federal District Court in Fort Pierce, Fla., lawyers for the two men tried to convince Judge Cannon that their clients had no idea that the boxes they had moved on Mr. Trump’s behalf contained classified materials. The lawyers also said they needed more details about the evidence against the men than what was contained in the 53-page superseding indictment.

Persons: Donald J, Trump’s, Aileen M, Cannon, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliveira, Trump, Jack Smith, Nauta, De Oliveira, Judge Cannon Organizations: Mar, Prosecutors, White, Federal, Court, Mr Locations: Florida, Fort Pierce, Fla

☆ Congressional leaders at odds over Israel aid next steps as conservatives warn Johnson against including Ukraine funding
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Michelle Shen | Melanie Zanona | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Johnson has vowed to put some sort of Israel aid bill on the floor this week, but said the details are still being finalized. The House previously struggled to pass a standalone Israel aid bill, but Johnson could draw ire from the right if he ties it to Ukraine or puts the Senate bill on the floor. How Congress reached this pointWhile the Senate passed its foreign aid bill in February, Johnson said he never planned to bring the bill to the floor. The House, in turn, tried but failed to pass a standalone package for $17.6 billion in Israel aid amid opposition from both Republicans and Democratic leaders. At a closed caucus meeting prior to the vote, House Democratic leadership made a forceful case against supporting the standalone Israel aid package to members.

Persons: Mike Johnson, We’re, ” Johnson, Maria Bartiromo, Johnson, Warren Davidson, Mitch McConnell —, Donald Trump’s, Trump, Chuck Schumer, “, ”, imploring Johnson, Schumer, McConnell, Republican Sen, Marco Rubio sidestepped, ” Rubio, CNN’s Jake Tapper, ” Democratic Sen, Chris Coons, ” Coons, Tapper, CNN’s Haley Talbot, Lauren Fox, Manu Raju, Aileen Graef, Avery Lotz Organizations: CNN, Congressional, House Republicans, Republican Party, Israel, Fox News, GOP, Senate, Democrat, Republican, Union, ” Democratic, Republicans, Democratic, Freedom Caucus, House Democratic Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Iran, Taiwan, Mar, Lago, Washington, “ State

☆ Trump Co-Defendants Argue for Dismissal of Charges in Documents Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Eileen Sullivan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Lawyers for co-defendants of former President Donald J. Trump argued in federal court in Florida on Friday to dismiss charges of aiding in the obstruction of efforts to recover classified documents. It was a rare hearing of the documents case in which Mr. Trump did not take center stage. His co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, are loyal Trump employees, accused of conspiring with the former president to hide boxes containing classified government materials after Mr. Trump left office. Prosecutors also accused them of plotting to destroy security camera footage of the boxes being moved. She also did not announce a date for the trial to begin, despite holding a hearing more than a month ago on the matter.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliveira, Prosecutors, Aileen M, Cannon Organizations: Trump Locations: Florida, Fort Pierce, Fla

The House has put a modified surveillance bill on track for final passage as soon as Friday, just days after an earlier version failed to advance in a public rebuke to GOP leadership. The House voted Friday morning to approve the rule governing debate surrounding the modified bill behind Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act reauthorization, a key step before final passage. Greene was seen on the House floor speaking to Johnson, who later told reporters the two spoke about “all sorts of things.”“Marjorie and I agree on our conservative philosophy,” Johnson said. Johnson organized a classified reading room off the House floor for members to view classified information ahead of Friday’s vote, according to a GOP leadership aide. White House National Security communications adviser John Kirby reiterated the White House’s support for the reauthorization ahead of the final House floor vote expected later Friday.

Persons: Mike Johnson –, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Johnson, Greene, ” “ Marjorie, ” Johnson, “, Donald Trump, ”, Joe Biden, John Kirby, ” Kirby, Kirby, CNN’s Aileen Graef Organizations: Foreign Intelligence, GOP, Louisiana Republican, FISA, Trump, House, FBI, Senate, reauthorization, White, National Security Locations: Louisiana, Georgia, Ukraine, Florida, Iran

☆ FBI interview transcript reveals how Trump aide characterized boxes at Mar-a-Lago to investigators
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Tierney Sneed | Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The transcript of an FBI interview made public late Thursday details how an aide to former President Donald Trump characterized the boxes of sensitive documents that are now at the center of the special counsel’s case into the mishandling of classified documents from the Trump White House. For much of the May 2022 interview, Nauta describes the layout of Mar-a-Lago, what he claimed to know about where boxes of Trump’s items from the White House were stored and his assessment of what was in the boxes. Nauta has been charged with conspiring to conceal documents as well as lying to the FBI in his interview about the location and movement of boxes of documents at Mar-a-Lago. According to the transcript, investigators at one point in the interview ask Nauta whether he was aware of Trump showing a document with classified markings to people while on a plane. So that’s kind of the reason why we’re looking into this.”Nauta denied telling Trump that he was sitting for the interview, and according to the transcript, Nauta said he told Trump that he was going for a run.

Persons: Donald Trump, Walt Nauta, Nauta, Trump, Aileen Cannon, Jack Smith’s, we’ve, ” Nauta Organizations: CNN, FBI, Trump White House, Mar, Trump

☆ Trump and Johnson Trump build alliance on the falsehood of the stolen election
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The stolen election falsehood that dominates the GOPJohnson’s willingness to lend the authority of his office to Trump’s “election integrity” campaign shows how Trump’s stolen election conspiracy theory has consumed almost every pillar of power in the GOP. Trump and Johnson are also expected to relitigate the 2020 election during Friday’s press conference, a Trump adviser told CNN. “IT’S SO THEY CAN VOTE, VOTE, VOTE,” Trump said on his Truth Social network in December. Two days after the election, Trump declared, “If you count the legal votes, I easily win. “I support President Trump, I’m one of his biggest fighters here in Congress.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Donald Trump, Trump, Aileen Cannon, Trump’s, Johnson, ”, CNN’s Kristen Holmes, Fredreka Schouten, CNN’s KFile, Lara Trump, William Barr, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden’s, ” Trump, ” Johnson, Biden, There’s, —, Matt Gaetz –, “, ” Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Greene, she’d, ” Greene, CNN’s Manu Raju, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy —, Trump — Organizations: CNN —, Republican, GOP, Trump’s, Trump, Republicans, Republican National Committee, RNC, CNN, Democratic, Electoral, “, Christian Broadcasting Network, Biden, Georgia Republican, House Republicans, Capitol Locations: Trump, Congress, Lago, Florida, New York, Georgia, American, Texas, Georgia , Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ukraine, Mar, November’s

☆ Witnesses in Trump classified documents case will remain secret, federal judge orders
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Katelyn Polantz | Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A federal judge decided Tuesday that the names of potential witnesses in the classified documents case against Donald Trump will remain secret – resolving one of the issues that has created a logjam in the criminal case. But, Cannon said, witness statements can be used in the public filings — unless those statements would be identifying. Smith had strongly pushed back on a previous order from Cannon for transparency surrounding the identification of witnesses, pointing to fears of witness harassment. CNN previously reported that the potential witness list includes a number of low-level workers from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Trump’s lawyers had argued they should be able to name potential witnesses, as is typical in criminal cases.

Persons: Donald Trump, Aileen Cannon, Jack Smith’s, Cannon, redactions, Smith, ”, Trump’s, Trump Organizations: CNN, Trump’s Mar Locations: Trump’s, Lago, Florida, Fort Pierce , Florida

☆ Judge Blocks Trump’s Lawyers From Naming Witnesses in Documents Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Alan Feuer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In a 24-page ruling, the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, told Mr. Trump’s lawyers to refer to the witnesses in their filing with a pseudonym or a categorical description — say, John Smith or F.B.I. The special counsel, Jack Smith, had expressed a deep concern over witness safety, an issue that has touched on several of Mr. Trump’s criminal cases. Judge Cannon’s decision, reversing her initial ruling on the matter, was noteworthy, if only for the way it hewed to standard practice. After making a series of unorthodox rulings and allowing the case to become bogged down by a logjam of unresolved legal issues, the judge has come under intense scrutiny. Each of her decisions has been studied closely by legal experts for any indication of how she plans to proceed with other matters.

Persons: Donald J, Trump’s, Aileen M, Cannon, John Smith, Jack Smith, ”, Trump, “, Cannon’s Organizations: “ Trump

☆ Trump is just days from his first criminal trial after latest legal gambit fails
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

And if there’s one of the four criminal trials that Trump would prefer to take place first, it’s this one. But there is a clear trend of him using frivolous legal challenges to slow the road to trials. With only four weekdays until the New York trial begins, the chances that it will be further delayed are fading fast. If he’s reelected, Trump would regain presidential powers that would allow him to stall or even end the federal case against him completely. “There is no democracy without robust and uninhibited freedom of expression,” Trump attorney Steve Sadow said in a statement.

Persons: Donald Trump, –, Trump, he’d, “, Judge Juan Merchan, ”, they’ve, Stormy Daniels, can’t, Joe Biden, Biden, couldn’t, “ Trump, He’s, Jack Smith, Smith, ” Smith, he’s, Smith’s, Aileen Cannon, ” Trump, Steve Sadow, Scott McAfee, Lizbeth González Organizations: CNN, Republican, Trump, Prosecutors, GOP Locations: Manhattan, New York, York, Trump, Chicago, Washington, Florida, Georgia, Fulton County, Washington , DC

☆ Trump loses bids to dismiss classified docs, Georgia election cases on the same day
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Donald Trump on Thursday afternoon lost two separate attempts to dismiss criminal charges against him in his Florida and Georgia cases. In Florida federal court, Judge Aileen Cannon rejected Trump's bid to drop charges against him related to his alleged mishandling of hundreds of classified documents after he left the White House. In a brief order, Cannon wrote that Trump's argument, which hinged on his interpretation of the Presidential Records Act, was an insufficient basis for dismissal. That ruling came about two hours after Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee denied Trump's attempt to dismiss his Georgia election interference case on the grounds that it violated his free speech rights. The twin losses came one day after New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan denied a request by Trump to delay his upcoming criminal hush money trial.

Persons: Donald Trump, Aileen Cannon, Trump's, Cannon, Scott McAfee, Juan Merchan, Trump, Cannon's, Jack Smith, Smith Organizations: White, Presidential Records, Fulton, New York, Records Locations: New York City, Florida, Georgia

☆ Judge Rejects Trump Dismissal Effort in Classified Documents Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Alan Feuer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A federal judge on Thursday rejected for now one of former President Donald J. Trump’s central efforts to dismiss charges that he had mishandled classified documents after leaving office. The judge, Aileen M. Cannon, ruled that Mr. Trump could not escape prosecution by arguing that he had converted the highly sensitive records he took from the White House into his personal property under a law known as the Presidential Records Act. In a terse three-page order, Judge Cannon said that the statute, which was put in place after the Watergate scandal to ensure that most records from a president’s time in office remained in the possession of the government, “does not provide a pretrial basis to dismiss” the case. The decision was a victory of sorts for the special counsel, Jack Smith, who has persistently argued that the Presidential Records Act should have nothing to do with the criminal prosecution of a former president accused of removing national security documents from the White House and then obstructing efforts to retrieve them.

Persons: Donald J, Aileen M, Cannon, Trump, Judge Cannon, Jack Smith Organizations: White, Presidential, White House

CNN —Former President Donald Trump was dealt two major setbacks Thursday in his efforts to derail the criminal cases against him, with judges in the Georgia election interference case and in the federal classified documents case both rejecting bids by the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee to have those cases thrown out. Trump has made similar presidential immunity arguments in the Georgia case and in the classified documents case. She wrote that prosecutors “make no reference to the Presidential Records Act” in the indictment against Trump and did not “rely” on the statute to bring charges. McAfee’s ruling is the latest step inching the state racketeering case against Trump forward. McAfee’s refusal to scrap the indictment comes as the free speech defense has repeatedly fallen short in pretrial wrangling in election meddling cases.

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Jack Smith, –, Trump, Aileen Cannon, “, Cannon, ”, Scott McAfee, Willis, ” McAfee, McAfee, Tanya Chutkan, Steve Sadow, Smith, Trump’s Organizations: CNN, Trump, White, Records, Presidential, Circuit, Peach State, McAfee, National Archives, Prosecutors Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, New York, York, Washington ,, Florida, Atlanta, Peach

☆ How legal fights and stalling by judge could push Trump documents trial after election
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Tierney Sneed | Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The longer it takes for Cannon to decide these issues, the more likely a trial would need to wait until after the November presidential election. But Cannon’s critics view the pace of the Trump prosecution with added suspicion because of how she handled a separate, 2022 lawsuit Trump brought attacking the FBI’s documents investigation. In that lawsuit, Cannon granted an extraordinary Trump request for a third-party review of the FBI’s 2022 search of his Mar-a-Lago resort for the classified documents. Now, critics accuse Cannon of – purposely or not – playing into Trump’s strategy of delaying the trial until after the election. Hours after the hearing, Cannon rejected Trump’s first claim, that the national defense law he is charged under was too vague.

Persons: Donald Trump, Aileen Cannon, Cannon, Prosecutors, Jack Smith, ”, Smith, Alan Rozenshtein, “, Trump, –, Barbara McQuade, Obama, ” McQuade, won’t, nudges, doesn’t, McQuade, Southern District of Florida Aileen Cannon, Lothar Speer Cannon, ” David Aaron, ” Aaron, Aaron, CIPA, they’re, that’s, Mark Schnapp, Trump’s, Rozenshtein, Cannon “, Judge Cannon’s Organizations: CNN, Trump, University of Minnesota Law School, Justice Department, Biden White, University of Michigan Law School, US, Court, Southern, Southern District of, DOJ, DOJ National Security, Presidential, National Archives, ” Prosecutors, White Locations: Southern District, Southern District of Florida, Florida

☆ Frustrated Prosecutors Ask Trump Documents Judge to Act on Key Claim
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Alan Feuer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In an open display of frustration, federal prosecutors on Tuesday night told the judge overseeing former President Donald J. Trump’s classified documents case that a “fundamentally flawed” order she had issued was causing delays and asked her to quickly resolve a critical dispute about one of Mr. Trump’s defenses — leaving them time to appeal if needed. The unusual and risky move by the prosecutors, contained in a 24-page filing, signaled their mounting impatience with the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, who has allowed the case to become bogged down in a logjam of unresolved issues and curious procedural requests. It was the most directly prosecutors have confronted Judge Cannon’s legal reasoning and unhurried pace, which have called into question whether a trial will take place before the election in November even though both sides say they could be ready for one by summer. In their filing, prosecutors in the office of the special counsel, Jack Smith, all but begged Judge Cannon to move the case along and make a binding decision about one of Mr. Trump’s most brazen claims: that he cannot be prosecuted for having taken home a trove of national security documents after leaving office because he transformed them into his own personal property under a law known as the Presidential Records Act. The prosecutors derided that assertion as one “not based on any facts,” adding that it was a “justification that was concocted more than a year after” Mr. Trump left the White House.

Persons: Donald J, Trump’s, Aileen M, Cannon, Jack Smith, Judge Cannon, ” Mr, Trump Organizations: Presidential, White

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