Special Counsel Jack Smith has quickly countered U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s bombshell dismissal of the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump. The Department of Justice (DOJ) authorized Smith to appeal the decision to the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, setting the stage for a high-stakes legal showdown.
Cannon’s ruling on Monday, which declared Smith’s appointment as special counsel unconstitutional, effectively halted one of two federal cases against Trump. The former president faced 40 charges related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Special Counsel Jack Smith delivers remarks on a recently unsealed indictment including four felony counts against former U.S. President Donald Trump at the Justice Department on August 1, 2023 in Washington, DC. Smith has responded… Special Counsel Jack Smith delivers remarks on a recently unsealed indictment including four felony counts against former U.S. President Donald Trump at the Justice Department on August 1, 2023 in Washington, DC. Smith has responded to Aileen Cannon’s decision to dismiss Trump’s classified documents case. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Peter Carr, Smith’s spokesman, defended the special counsel’s appointment in a short but direct statement. “The dismissal of the case deviates from the uniform conclusion of all previous courts to have considered the issue that the Attorney General is statutorily authorized to appoint a Special Counsel. The justice department has authorized the Special Counsel to appeal the court’s order.” Carr said.
The DOJ’s decision to appeal comes as the case has drawn national attention. Cannon’s ruling, if upheld, could potentially affect the authority of special counsels in future investigations. The appeal process is expected to address the constitutional questions raised by Cannon’s decision regarding the appointment of special counsels.
Newsweek contacted the DOJ via online form and Trump’s campaign via email on Monday for further comment.
Trump’s legal team, however, celebrated the ruling. Christopher Kise, one of Trump’s lawyers, praised Cannon’s decision in a strongly worded statement. “Judge Cannon today restored the rule of law and made the right call for America,” Kise declared. He characterized the prosecution as “baseless, lawless, and politically motivated,” demanding that Smith “shut down his office, and end this unconstitutional abuse of power.”
Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, hailed Cannon’s ruling on his social media platform, Truth Social. He framed it as vindication of his long-standing claims that the investigations against him are politically motivated “Witch Hunts.”
With both sides gearing up for a fierce legal battle, the 11th Circuit’s decision will be crucial. It stands to influence not just this high-profile case, but potentially the entire framework of how special counsel investigations are conducted in the future.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
A legjobb élmény biztosítása érdekében olyan technológiákat használunk, mint a cookie-k az eszközadatok tárolására és/vagy eléréséhez. Ha beleegyezik ezekbe a technológiákba, akkor olyan adatokat dolgozhatunk fel ezen az oldalon, mint a böngészési viselkedés vagy az egyedi azonosítók. A hozzájárulás elmulasztása vagy visszavonása bizonyos funkciókat és funkciókat hátrányosan érinthet.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
