By Maria Ortiz
Jun 20, 2024, 7:38 PM EDT
Federal Judge Aileen Cannon, who is in charge of the federal criminal case for mishandling of classified White House documents found at Mar-a-Lago, by former president and Republican candidate Donald Trump, rejected the request made by two federal judges for him to resign from presiding over it , according to The New York Times (NYT).
When Judge Cannon, nominated in 2020 by Trump, took on the case, she rejected suggestions from two of her superiors on the court that she hand it over to a more experienced colleague, the newspaper reported.
One of the judges was Cecilia M. Altonaga, the chief magistrate of the Southern District of Florida, while the other was not identified by the NYT.
Cannon has been questioned for her handling of the case and It has been questioned that he has intentionally delayed it.
Last May, the judge indefinitely postponed the date of Trump’s trial in Florida for mishandling confidential documents found in his possession after leaving the White House.
In the same case, the virtual Republican candidate faces charges of obstruction and willful withholding of official documents related to US security.which are punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
The judge’s decision makes it very unlikely that the trial in Florida against the former president will take place before the presidential elections next November, in which he will face President Joe Biden.
Cannon worked as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida from 2013 to 2020 and She was in charge of four criminal trials as a federal judge before taking on Trump’s highly complex case.
Keep reading:
• Prosecutor Jack Smith asks the judge for a “gag order” for Trump in the classified documents case
• Attorney General criticized Trump’s “extremely dangerous” suggestion that Biden wanted him dead
• Judge indefinitely delays Trump’s trial in Florida over classified documents