“Cannon Is So Obviously Trying to Help Trump”: DOJ Warns Documents Case Judge That Trump Is Trying to ‘Manipulate’ Her to Delay Trial

Michelle HollandNov 4, 2023

Minute Read

Justice Department prosecutors have warned U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon that Donald Trump is manipulating her into delaying the trial for his documents case. Cannon, who was appointed by Trump, has been accused by some of trying to aid the former president.

Trump’s Ongoing Legal Cases

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Trump is currently embroiled in several legal battles, both criminal and civil. One of these is a criminal case regarding the hundreds of classified documents found at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.

Judge Cannon’s Dilemma

Cannon is debating whether to push back Trump’s trial, currently set to begin on May 20, 2024, at Trump’s request; she has already indicated that she’s likely to concede to his wishes.

The 2020 Election Case

Another criminal case involving Trump pertains to his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Trump’s attorneys have also asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who’s overseeing the case, whether she can pause these proceedings until Trump’s motion to dismiss the charges is resolved. Trump is arguing that he has presidential “immunity.” Right now, the trial is set for March 2024.

Conflicting Trials

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Cannon was informed by the DOJ that Trump’s attorneys asked to postpone the election case hours after telling Cannon that the documents trial should be postponed as it would clash with the election trial.

Disingenuous Attorneys

Trump’s lawyers were attempting to use the election trial to push back the documents trial while simultaneously trying to postpone the election trial — something the DOJ cites as a sign of disingenuous motives. Therefore, they are advising Cannon not to base her decision on the election case.

Trump’s Overriding Interest

Prosecutors wrote to the court, explaining that Trump’s moves “confirm overriding interest in delaying both trials at any cost,” pleading with the court not to “allow itself to be manipulated in this fashion.”

What’s In It For Trump?

Trump is angling to delay his federal trials until after the 2024 presidential election, in which he is hoping to run again as the Republican candidate. Should he succeed in being elected, he could try to have the charges dropped.

40 Federal Felony Charges

Trump is up against 40 federal felony charges in the documents case, including for the willful retention of national defense information, obstruction, withholding and concealing documents, and making false statements. If convicted on every charge and given the maximum sentence, he’d be looking at a maximum combined sentence of 450 years in prison and up to $10 million in fines. It’s unlikely, however, that the outcome will be this extreme.

Obstructed Investigation

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After unlawfully retaining classified White House documents at Mar-a-Lago, the DOJ alleged Trump interfered with investigations by refusing to comply with a subpoena for the rest of the documents, many of which he concealed to prevent them from being handed over.

Cannon’s Bias

Judge Cannon sided with Trump before criminal charges were filed against him by appointing a third party to oversee a review of the documents seized at Mar-a-Lago. She was also criticized by legal experts after issuing a ruling that enabled Trump’s co-defendants in the documents case wider access to classified materials.

A Lost Cause?

Many online don’t have a lot of faith that the documents case will bring Trump to justice. “The sad thing is that I’ve sort of given up on that docs case,” one forum commenter admitted. “Cannon is so obviously trying to help Trump that I have no expectation he’ll see any real consequences for this serious crime.”

An Untrustworthy Judge

“It’s frustrating because they have overwhelming evidence against him and what he did was so dangerous,” the commenter continued. “It’s insane to me that a federal judge is bending over backwards to run interference for him.” Some went so far as to call Cannon a “Trump crony” or “Trump lackey.”

The Case In Georgia

Many commenters expressed their hopes for Trump’s Georgia case. Trump, alongside other members of his inner circle, has been accused of election tampering in Georgia during the 2020 election for attempting to change the state’s results. Georgia flipped from Republican to Democrat after Biden won the state by a narrow margin.

No Way Out for Trump

“Trump is not getting out of the GA case,” one person wrote. “If Cannon delays this case it just opens up the calendar for other prosecutors to bring their cases to trial sooner. So she is just freeing up the schedule for the GA case,” someone suggested, with another commenter concurring that it was a “silver lining” to the possible postponements.

Doubts Over Cannon

“Cannon literally doesn’t know what she’s doing,” one commenter said. “In her last criminal trial, she forgot to swear in the jury, and it was declared a mistrial,” another pointed out. Others disagreed, with one arguing “She may be incompetent at being an actual judge but she’s competent at her objective of making sure Trump evades justice.”

Eying the Supreme Court

A fake screenshot in which Trump expressed his wishes to put Cannon on the Supreme Court circulated the internet. Though it was photoshopped, many felt that it was something they could see him doing, with one user commenting separately “She’s hoping for a SCOTUS seat if he gets re-elected.”

Calling for Cannon’s Removal

“Cannon ought to be removed as a Judge; the sooner, the better,” one commenter declared. “She can be replaced,” another insisted.

The Online Consensus

People were generally mistrustful of Cannon and felt that her partiality could lead to Trump’s acquittal. “She was a Trump devotee before she was chosen as the trial judge,” one user remarked. “Now she has a chance to make her beloved happy.”