The trial in Trump’s Florida case most likely won’t start before the November general election, something that Trump and his legal team wanted from the very beginning. However, Judge Aileen Cannon handed Department of Justice (DOJ) special counsel Jack Smith a win in former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case on Wednesday. This comes as a surprise, given that Judge Cannon, a Trump appointee, has favored Trump’s legal team on numerous occasions in recent weeks, helping Trump delay the start of the trial.
A win for Special Prosecutor Smith
Cannon, the federal judge overseeing the trial in Smith’s case charging the former president with mishandling classified documents, granted a motion filed by Smith in March that was related to an upcoming filing from Trump co-defendant Walt Nauta. Smith requested “extensive redactions” on certain parts of the filing before its public release. On Wednesday, Cannon acknowledged Smith’s request and agreed to redact at least some of the requested portions.
Other cases
Trump faces a total of 91 criminal charges in four cases, including the ongoing New York hush money case. In New York, Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree for a $130,000 alleged “hush money” payment he made to adult film star Stephanie Clifford, known as Stormy Daniels, days before the 2016 election, in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair with Trump. Trump denies the allegations and accuses President Biden of using the Department of Justice in cases against the former president.
Help on the way
Ohio Representative Jim Jordan recently sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting documents related to a former top official at the Department of Justice. The letter, dated April 30, came from Jordan’s role as chair of the House Judiciary Committee. He expressed that the committee was looking into what he described as “politically motivated prosecutions,” particularly those aimed at former President Donald Trump last year. Jordan’s request focused on obtaining information about Matthew Colangelo, a former Acting Associate Attorney General now involved in the prosecution of Trump on 34 charges of first-degree falsification of business records in New York County under District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The changes
Typically, such offenses are treated as misdemeanors. However, Bragg argues that because Trump allegedly altered these records to influence his election chances — another misdemeanor — these charges should be considered felonies, as reported by Fox News. The case against Trump heavily depends on the testimony of his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who has been investigated by the Department of Justice and admitted guilt to eight charges.
“As the Committee has previously explained, Bragg’s politicized prosecution of President Trump has serious consequences for federal interests,” Jordan wrote. “That a former senior Biden Justice Department official is now leading the prosecution of President Biden’s chief political rival only adds to the perception that the Biden Justice Department is politicized and weaponized,” he added.
Copies of correspondence requested
Jordan has asked for copies of communications about Trump involving Colangelo and several government entities, such as the New York County District Attorney’s Office, the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, and the Department of Justice’s Special Counsel’s Office, which are all engaging in ongoing criminal cases against the former president.
Additionally, he wants to obtain any correspondence between Colangelo and New York Attorney General Leticia James’s office, who has initiated a civil lawsuit against Trump for allegedly providing false financial information to obtain better loan conditions from banks. Trump has denied all charges in each case, consistently claiming that the criminal allegations are based on political motives. Jordan is also interested in documents related to Colangelo’s work history at the DOJ and the two convictions involving Cohen.
The request specifies that all requested documents should be delivered by the end of business on May 14, a timeline that appears very challenging to meet. According to The Associated Press, witness testimonies in the hush money case led by Bragg started on April 22, with the trial expected to continue for six to eight weeks
