Judge Aileen Cannon Orders Lawyers In Trump Docs Case To Obtain Security Clearance

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Thursday indicated she intends to continue presiding over the case involving Donald Trump s alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Cannon, who was appointed to the bench by Trump in 2020, ordered all attorneys of record and forthcoming attorneys of record to get expedited security clearances and notify her of compliance by June 20.

Judge Aileen Cannon sets first scheduling order in United States v. Donald Trump and Waltine Nauta.

She orders defense attorneys to contact Justice Department about expediting security clearance process and file l notice of compliance by June 20. pic.twitter.com/eMXm46xGCQ

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Judge Aileen Cannon sets first scheduling order in United States v. Donald Trump and Waltine Nauta.

She orders defense attorneys to contact Justice Department about expediting security clearance process and file l notice of compliance by June 20. pic.twitter.com/eMXm46xGCQ
Anna Bower (@AnnaBower) June 15, 2023

Defense lawyers Todd Blanche and Chris Kise have already contacted the Department of Justice about obtaining clearances, sources told CNN and The New York Times . Blanche, a former assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, reportedly previously had clearance.

The order also reflects the highly sensitive nature of documents that are at the heart of the prosecutions Espionage Act charges against the former president.

Cannons assignment to the case has been considered good news for Trumps legal team .

Her favorable rulings for Trump during the investigation raised eyebrows and prompted calls from Democratic lawmakers for her to recuse herself from overseeing the trial.

Cannon barred DOJ investigators from using the classified documents recovered from last Augusts FBI search of Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate until a special master appointed by her reviewed the files. She claimed Trump faced reputational harm of a decidedly different order of magnitude than an ordinary person subjected to a similar search.

An appeals court later reversed her decision, saying the district court abused its discretion.

Im very concerned about her prior rulings and her potential mindset in this case, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said.

Eric Holder, who served as attorney general in the Barack Obama administration, said Cannon lacks the legal acumen to handle a case of this importance.

I dont have confidence in her abilities to be fair, or to be seen as fair, Holder said last weekend.

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A federal grand jury indicted Trump on 37 charges, including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements. His aide Walt Nauta was also charged.