'Judge Cannon has a lot to answer for': Expert furious Trump witness wasn't heard in court
March 12, 2024
Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann is shocked by former Mar-a-Lago employee Brian Butler coming forward to describe what he saw of classified documents being illegally moved — and not just because of the details he shared.
Speaking on MSNBC Tuesday, Weissmann said he was dismayed at how the justice system and the courts have apparently worked to prevent the public from being able to review the information ahead of the election.
Butler's information was only made public because he decided to speak out, Weissman said.
The former Trump worker and previously unnamed witness in the classified documents case told CNN how he unwittingly moved boxes of documents, including putting dozens of them onto Trump's plane.
"This is someone who was in charge of driving the boxes with the contraband in them," said Nicolle Wallace, host of MSNBC's "Deadline: White House."
"It is haunting to me how he says, yeah, there was this white-haired tall guy I would later learn was the attorney, who ends up turning over his notes to [special counsel] Jack Smith's prosecutors. This was so many touchpoints to the criminal conduct, both the mishandling and the very, very deliberate intent to obstruct."
Weissmann responded: "This is a firsthand witness to, as you said, both the retention part of the case, retaining classified documents, and also obstructing the investigation, and even the dissemination, because he overhears talking about this to someone who clearly shouldn't know about it.
"And my reaction there to all of this is, it's a huge indictment of our judicial system. We're all listening to this, it's riveting. That's what a trial is supposed to be. You know, Donald Trump should have his day in court, to be able to cross-examine all of this. But the public is entitled to not just hear from Mr. Butler, but everyone. The Supreme Court of the United States, that is putting a stay needlessly on the D.C. case, and Judge Cannon — don't get me started."
He was referring to significant delays that have been forced upon Trump's trials, both by rulings by the judge in the classified documents case, Aileen Cannon, and by the Supreme Court which has agreed to hear Trump's arguments that he should be afforded presidential immunity from criminal prosecution.
Many doubt that the classified documents case and the electoral interference case in Washington, D.C., will get to trial before the election.
"No, get started," urged Wallace. "Say it!"
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"She clearly is not going to have this trial," said Weissmann about Cannon.
"And that is why you have him speaking and, in some ways, they say, thank god he's speaking. Normally a prosecutor would be like, I do not want my witnesses to be doing this. I can't prevent them, but it's not a good thing. In this case, my reaction is, this is the only way the public is going to learn it. And that's really not right.
"The public has a right to have a speedy trial, to hear the evidence. And so it's great that this interview happened. He seems very credible, but they're entitled to the whole story. To Butler and everyone else."
"This is the form where we can have some account after what happened," he added. "But it's not really enough. It's not ... really the way that we decide things in the United States. When there's a dispute, you have trials, and facts and law should matter. That's sort of my main reaction to this, you know, Judge Cannon has a lot to answer for."
Watch the video below or at the link here.
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