Far-right Trump-appointed district judge Aileen Cannon has overstepped her authority by attempting to block special counsel Jack Smith from releasing his report on the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, according to former Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks. Speaking on MSNBC’s The ReidOut with Joy Reid on Tuesday evening, Wine-Banks asserted that Cannon’s actions are both unauthorized and indicative of bias.
This controversy arises amidst speculation from legal experts that Cannon herself is aware such an order is invalid. Critics suggest her intent might be to stall proceedings, buying time for former President Donald Trump to potentially appoint officials at the Justice Department who could halt the report’s release.
“Let’s talk about another story that’s happening,” Reid said during the segment. “Judge Cannon … Donald Trump’s favorite pet judge, she has blocked the release of special counsel Jack Smith’s report on the criminal case. Essentially, Trump’s lawyers admitted there is really bad stuff in this report. She has blocked it. Does she have the authority to do that? This isn’t her case anymore.”
“It is not her case,” Wine-Banks responded. “She has no jurisdiction.”
Wine-Banks went on to explain the irregularities in Cannon’s intervention. “This came out of nowhere. She dismissed the case. It’s now before the 11th Circuit. She said, wrongly, that the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith was not valid because of ridiculous things. It was a perfectly valid appointment. And so she dismissed the case on the grounds that he couldn’t prosecute it.
That is not proper, but in any event, she’s given up her authority over the case. So why is she sticking her nose in this? It’s because she wanted to do it. It’s one more thing she can do to help President Trump.” Wine-Banks criticized what she called Cannon’s “outcome-driven decisions,” stating they are legally flawed and lack authority.
“Her outcome-driven decisions are wrong, and she doesn’t have the power to do this,” she said. “I hope the 11th Circuit will throw it out and that the Supreme Court, which will obviously get it from there, will also do the right thing and not allow this to happen.”
The case remains a critical focal point in Trump’s ongoing legal battles, and Cannon’s controversial rulings are drawing scrutiny from legal analysts and commentators alike.