Washington, D.C. — Today, Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump on the grounds that the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith was unconstitutional. In response, Devon Ombres, senior director for Courts and Legal Policy at the Center for American Progress, issued a statement.
"This stunning decision is so out of step with the law that it brings the impartiality of this judge into question," said Ombres. "Judge Cannon brushes off 50 years of legal precedent allowing the Justice Department to appoint special counsels to handle politically sensitive investigations in an independent manner. This process has been in place since the Watergate scandal and repeatedly affirmed by the Supreme Court."
Ombres further stated that "the ruling undermines efforts to hold the former president accountable for allegations of undermining national security—serious charges of removing and haphazardly storing scores of highly classified documents relating to nuclear weapons, military plans, and intelligence operations." He called for swift action: "The federal appeals court should quickly overturn this fringe decision, and Judge Cannon should be removed from overseeing this case."
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