Judge Cannon wants to know whether Merrick Garland is supervising Jack Smith [View all]
Source: politico
The judge in Donald Trump’s classified documents case asked lawyers how much independence the special counsel has.
Judge Aileen Cannon held a hearing on a bid by Trump to have Jack Smith's appointment declared unconstitutional. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP; Southern District of Florida
By Gary Fineout and Kyle Cheney
06/21/2024 07:01 PM EDT
FORT PIERCE, Florida — The federal judge overseeing Donald Trump’s classified documents case grilled special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecutors Friday on how closely Attorney General Merrick Garland oversees their work.
Under persistent questioning from U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, the prosecutors declined to divulge details and seemed caught off-guard by the inquiries. At one point, Smith deputy James Pearce said he was “not authorized” to discuss the level of communication that occurred between the attorney general and the special counsel.
“I don’t want to make it seem like I’m hiding something,” Pearce then said.
The questioning came at the end of a five-hour hearing focused on a long-shot effort by Trump to have the charges against him thrown out. Smith has accused Trump of hoarding national secrets at his Mar-a-Lago estate after his presidency and obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them.
Trump contends that Smith’s appointment by Garland as special counsel in November 2022 is unconstitutional and that Smith lacked the legal authority to bring the case against the former president.......................
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/21/trump-classified-documents-cannon-garland-smith-00164541
@kyledcheney
NEW: Judge Cannon pressed Jack Smith’s prosecutors today to reveal how closely Attorney General Garland oversees their work.
w/ @fineout, our man in the courthouse today.
https://politico.com/news/2024/06/2
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If I were Smith I would ask Cannon how closely Trump
oversees her handling of his case.
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