Why Judge Cannon may side with Trump on a ‘gag order’ in the classified documents case
MSNBCJun 19
Judge Rejects GOP AGs Involvement in Trump Docs Case
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Above: The Alto Lee Adams Sr. United States Courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida. Image copyright: Joe Raedle/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
On Monday, the judge overseeing the special counsel's classified documents case against former US Pres. Donald Trump rejected a motion from 24 Republican attorneys general who sought to prevent the court from issuing a gag order against the defendant.
They filed an amicus brief earlier that day, calling the gag order request "presumptively unconstitutional" on the grounds that attempts to stop the presumptive GOP presidential nominee from speaking out would "harm more than just the candidate."
The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
Despite Cannon's rejection of these attorneys general's attempt to get involved in the classified documents case, it was a noble effort by prominent Republicans to stop the lawfare the Biden administration is throwing at Trump. A gag order against someone running for the nation's highest elected office is unconstitutional, especially when requested without the backing of any evidence that anyone has felt threatened or been put in danger.
Anti-Trump narrative
Considering how Cannon has slow-walked hearing arguments on this issue and this entire case — not to mention her suspicious pro-Trump rulings on other matters in this case — it's surprising she rejected these efforts. However, Trump may still be able to continue making dangerous statements because there's little reason to believe she won't again rule for Trump after arguments are heard on Smith's gag order request.
