Judge Cannon sat on simple request for months — and blamed backlog for trial delay: expert

This week, Judge Aileen Cannon said that there are far too many motions in Donald Trump's classified documents trial for her to handle and declared that the trial would be "indefinitely delayed."

But a national security expert pointed out that some of those requests were small, and for an unknown reason were all kept under seal.

"Aileen Cannon kept an innocuous request from Stan Woodward to get an extension to respond to her order under seal for nine months," Marcy Wheeler posted on X, Thursday, implying that she intentionally worked to build an unnecessary backlog.

Woodward serves as lawyer for Walt Nauta, a former Trump employee and co-defendant.

Wheeler said the Woodward request was received Aug. 14, 2023.

This adds to claims that other legal analysts have made about Cannon's management of the trial.

Speaking to CNN on Wednesday, former impeachment lawyer Norm Eisen said, "Judge Cannon is clearly dragging out the classified documents case against Trump. Whether it's due to her inexperience, her bias, or both — it's atrocious."

"It's not clear what a judge overtly trying to submarine Trump's Florida trial would do that Cannon hasn't. He and his fans have noticed," wrote Washington Post columnist Philip Bump.

He also explained just how the delay in Trump's trial could protect him from prosecution.

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"Whether the trial occurs before or after the election is likely to matter politically. There’s no reason to think that a conviction of Trump on the Florida charges would result in a significant decline in his support," wrote Bump. "By kicking the trial out past the election, though, it does offer Trump a specific legal advantage: If he wins the presidency, he can delay or kill the prosecution entirely."

Meanwhile, Trump slings insults at other judges while he leaves Cannon alone.

Bump wrote this is an indication that he is "obviously cognizant that the prosecution being managed by Cannon is going his way."