As we reported, Special Counsel Jack Smith requested Friday that the judge overseeing his classified documents case against Donald Trump issue a gag order to prevent the former president from criticizing the proceedings. Like Manhattan District Attorney Alivin Bragg, who is prosecuting Trump in a business records case, Smith is scared the GOP presumptive nominee might actually speak his mind.
What First Amendment?
BREAKING: Now It's Jack Smith Who Wants to Silence Trump—Files Friday Night Gag Order Request
Cannon smacked down Smith’s petition Monday and knocked the special counsel in the process, saying his demand was “wholly lacking in substance and professional courtesy.”
Ouch.
Not only did Judge Aileen Cannon not sanction Trump, but she threatened to sanction Smith if he continued to step out of line. "Failure to comply with these requirements may result in sanctions," she wrote.
Smith has made numerous unforced errors in the case, and now it appears unlikely that proceedings will conclude before the November presidential election.
Oopsie:
WHOA: Judge Indefinitely Postpones Trump's Classified Docs Case Because DOJ Mishandled Evidence
This is a huge setback for Smith and is yet more egg on the faces of all the prosecutors attempting to interfere in the election with their endless—mostly baseless—lawfare attacks on the former president. In Manhattan, closing arguments are underway in Bragg’s aforementioned case, and many pundits believe his prosecution was farcical. Meanwhile, Fulton County, Georgia’s District Attorney Fani Willis has seen her case get mired in the mud as she deals with her own ethical scandals.
Is this a joke?
Can Fani Willis Weather the Storm?
For many, the classified docs case was the smoking gun, the clear winner, the real deal that would “get” Trump once and for all. As the former president continues to climb in the polls, however, it’s time for Attorney General Merrick Garland, Jack Smith, Fani Willis, and perhaps Alvin Bragg (depending on how the jury decides) to go find some crow for lunch, because that’s what they’re going to be eating.