From the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
U.S. District Court Judge Eileen M. Canon.
CNN
—
Federal Judge Eileen Cannon on Tuesday dismissed special counsel Jack Smith. Request for cake order Against Donald Trump in the classified documents case, he said attempts by lawyers to speak with the defendant were “completely devoid of substance and professional courtesy.”
In a brief order, Cannon blasted the attorneys for not following court rules by failing to meaningfully speak with Trump’s defense attorneys about a potential gag order before making the request.
“Because the special counsel’s motion to file does not comply with these basic requirements, it must be denied without prejudice,” Cannon wrote, “and it goes without saying that meaningful conference is not a passive exercise.”
The judge’s order highlights a complicated filing process that has repeatedly suffered as the case moves toward trial.
Prosecutors could ask for a gag order again, Cannon said, once they give Trump’s defense team “sufficient time” to read the motion and discuss it with lawyers.
Request of Special Counsel – First A case of mishandling of confidential documents – Trump has repeatedly and misleadingly criticized the FBI for having a policy around the use of deadly force. Search and seizure of government records at his resort in August 2022.
Trump’s campaign, for example, sent out a fundraising email on Tuesday that said FBI agents were “locked and loaded” and that he “nigh escaped death” at Mar-a-Lago.
Although Trump has told supporters he may have been at risk because of the policy, it is standard protocol for FBI searches and restricts how agents can use force in search operations. The same standard FBI policy was used in a separate classified documents investigation into the homes and offices of President Joe Biden.
A Blisters filed late on Memorial Dayy, Trump’s lawyers said the gag order request was an “extraordinary, unprecedented and unconstitutional application of censorship” targeting Trump’s campaign speech.
The lawyers also said the lawyers, who they refer to as a “self-appointed thought police,” are “seeking to condition President Trump’s freedom to conform to his own views.”
This story has been updated with additional details.
