Judge Aileen Cannon refuses to gag Donald Trump in Mar-a-Lago classified documents case

MIAMI, FLORIDA: Federal Judge Aileen Cannon decided not to restrict Donald Trump from speaking about how FBI agents might have been ready to shoot him during a search of his Mar-a-Lago resort while searching for classified documents in 2022 which she presides over.  

The judge found that special council Jack Smith's prosecutors failed to properly confer with Trump's lawyers before filing the motion in violation of court rules.

Why do the prosecutors want to gag Donald Trump?

The filing came after Trump made a false claim that the FBI had a greenlight to "take him out" during Mar-e-Lag resort searches. Trump was in New Jersey when the raid occurred.

Trump, in a fundraising email, claimed that FBI officers had arrived at Mar-e-Lago “locked and loaded” and that “Biden’s DOJ was authorized to shoot me!” citing a standard FBI document.

The document was attached to a Trump motion to dismiss his Florida indictment that was unsealed by the court last week.

He doubled down on the claim on Truth Social writing, “Crooked Joe Biden’s DoJ, in their Illegal and UnConstitutional Raid of Mar-a-Lago, Authorised the FBI to use deadly (lethal) force."

Trump’s comments were criticized as “false” and “extremely dangerous” by the attorney general Merrick Garland who said the former president had been mischaracterizing a “standard operations plan” intended to limit the use of lethal force.

Jack Smith's motion to gag Donald Trump

Prosecutors said Trump could pose “a significant, imminent, and foreseeable danger to law enforcement” involved in the case.

It said they had acted “in an appropriate and professional manner, subject to the Department of Justice’s standard use-of-force policy.” as sad by the FBI that it followed standard protocol during the search.

“Trump’s repeated mischaracterization of these facts in widely distributed messages as an attempt to kill him, his family, and Secret Service agents has endangered law enforcement officers involved in the investigation and prosecution of this case and threatened the integrity of these proceedings,” Smith’s office said in the motion to gag Trump.

“A restriction prohibiting future similar statements should therefore be modified to prohibit similar communications going forward," it requested. 

Juge Aileen Cannon denies gag order for Donald Trump 'without  prejudice'

Judge Aileen Cannon, who is overseeing Trump's Florida trial on his alleged mishandling of classified documents, cited a “lack of meaningful conferral” with the defense after the special counsel asked the judge to modify Trump’s conditions of release by ordering Trump to stop publicly lashing out.

"Because the filing of the Special Counsel's motion did not adhere to these basic requirements, it is due to be denied without prejudice," the judge said, according to Fox News. 

“The court finds the special counsel’s pro forma ‘conferral’ to be wholly lacking in substance and professional courtesy,” she wrote, adding “It should go without saying that meaningful conferral is not a perfunctory exercise.”

Earlier, Trump's attorneys asked a federal judge in the court filing to sanction and fine prosecutors from special counsel Jack Smith's office who participated in filing the motion. 

They called that motion an "extraordinary, unprecedented, and unconstitutional censorship application.” The request accused the prosecutors of “seeking to condition President Trump’s liberty on his compliance," as reported by MEAWW.

Internet reactions to judge Aileen Cannon denying to gag Donald Trump

The internet had mixed reactions over Judge Aileen Cannon dismissing the motion to agag Trump with one writing on X, "This judge is throwing her career away for Trump, what a shame."

"Fact check: the judge didn’t just deny the order. She warned Jack Smith that continued motions that violate the constitution and due process will result in her giving the prosecutor a big fat contempt citation with a possible fine and jail time," wrote one more. 

"She is clearly compromised. It’s time for me, Burt Macklin, to takeover, wrote one more. "MOTION TO RECUSE," wrote another. 

One wrote in support saying, "Finally a judge who refuses to conduct a kangaroo court."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.