CNN
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Judge Aileen Cannon on Tuesday extended the hold she has placed blocking the Justice Department from sharing special counsel Jack Smith’s report on his investigation into President Donald Trump’s mishandling of classified documents with members of Congress.
Her order took some jabs at the prosecutors representing to the position of former Attorney General Merrick Garland, accusing them of misleading her at a court hearing Friday and asserting that they’ve failed to live up to the “special role” they play in the criminal justice system.
Before Trump’s inauguration, Garland sought to share the report privately with a small group of lawmakers on the condition that they do not disclose what they learn from it.
On Tuesday, Cannon embraced arguments put forward by Trump’s former co-defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira – two employees of his charged with obstruction-related crimes – that even limited disclosure could prejudice them if their cases ever went to trial. Cannon dismissed the prosecution last summer on the grounds that Smith was unconstitutionally appointed, but that ruling is on appeal, leaving the possibility that the charges could be revived.
“The bare wishes of one Attorney General with ‘limited time’ in office to comply with a non-existent ‘historical practice’ of releasing Special Counsel reports in the pendency of criminal proceedings is not a valid reason,” Cannon wrote.
“And surely it does not override the obvious constitutional interests of Defendants in this action and this Court’s duty to protect the integrity of this proceeding.”
This story is breaking and will be updated.
In a recent ruling, Judge Aileen Cannon has stated that the Justice Department cannot share classified documents related to former President Trump with Congress. This decision comes as a blow to lawmakers who have been seeking access to these materials as part of ongoing investigations.
The ruling is based on the argument that the documents in question contain sensitive information that could jeopardize national security if released to the public. Judge Cannon emphasized the importance of protecting classified information and stated that Congress does not have the authority to demand access to these materials.
This decision has sparked debate among legal experts and politicians, with some arguing that transparency and accountability should take precedence over national security concerns. However, others believe that safeguarding classified information is essential to maintaining the integrity of the government.
It remains to be seen how this ruling will impact future efforts by Congress to obtain information related to the Trump administration. In the meantime, the debate over the balance between national security and government transparency continues to unfold.
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- Judge Aileen Cannon
- Justice Department
- Trump classified documents
- Congress
- Report
- Government transparency
- Legal ruling
- Classified information
- Congressional oversight
- Executive privilege
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