https://www.msn.com/en-us/news...485215102655cd&ei=13

“Smith is taking a clear stand, essentially telling Judge Cannon if she indulges this wildly lawless argument—that Donald Trump can take whatever he wants because the Presidential Records Act says so—that he may seek Judge Cannon's removal,”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news...NwE?ocid=socialshare

In a new filing, special counsel Jack Smith basically told the judge in Trump's classified documents case, “Do your job and follow the law or I will need to call on the Eleventh Circuit to force you to do so.” That filing was in response to a request from Judge Aileen Cannon--widely criticized by legal experts--for jury instructions that entertained Trump’s unfounded claims that he had every right to take the highly classified documents when he left the White House under Presidential Records Act.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news...A4I?ocid=socialshare

Judge Cannon dismisses Trump’s ‘ridiculous’ claim on dismissing classified documents case

Andrew Weissmann, former top prosecutor at the Justice Department and Tim Heaphy former lead investigator for the January 6th Select Committee join Nicolle Wallace on Deadline White House with reaction to the ruling today from Judge Aileen Cannon in the classified documents case, denying a motion from Team Trump that the case should be dismissed based on the Presidential Records Act, just the first step of many important ruling coming from Cannon’s bench.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news...7720d458be7eaf&ei=11

Aileen Cannon Planning Something 'Even Better' for Donald Trump—Attorney
Story by Thomas Kika • 1d • 3 min read

Cannon, who was appointed to the bench by Trump in the final months of his presidency, was selected to oversee the case and has been criticized in many corners for decisions that have been deemed overtly beneficial to the former president. She has also specifically been accused of helping Trump by delaying the case's proceedings by holding off on announcing an official trial date as matters are worked through.

On Thursday, however, Cannon ruled against a motion from Trump's legal team requesting that his Espionage Act charges be dismissed, arguing that he was allowed to retain the documents under the Presidential Records Act (PRA), a notion the Department of Justice's (DOJ) special counsel Jack Smith's team dismissed as "pure fiction." In denying the motion, Cannon did leave open the possibility that the argument could be raised at a later date in the case.

In a Friday post to his official YouTube channel, Kirschner, a former assistant U.S. attorney and frequent critic of the former president, argued that this decision from Cannon is laying the groundwork for something that will be "even better" for Trump.

"She's orchestrating something even better for Donald Trump," he said. "If she had granted this motion and dismissed those charges, guess what? Special counsel Jack Smith would have been able to appeal. But what she said is, 'I'm not going to dismiss them...now, but I might dismiss them later, when we're in trial, after a jury has been sworn, after jeopardy has attached.' Why? Because then, Jack Smith can't appeal the dismissal and Donald Trump will never be held accountable for those crimes."

Similar accusations of this tactic were leveled against Cannon last month when she denied a motion from Trump's legal team looking to have 32 of his 40 charges dismissed on presidential immunity grounds. She did so without prejudice, meaning that Trump's team can raise the issue later on down the line if they choose to.

Neal Katyal, a lawyer and former acting U.S. solicitor general during the Obama administration, previously suggested that while Cannon could end up rejecting the motions-to-dismiss arguments, the fact she held a day-long hearing to discuss their merit in the first place is ultimately helping Trump in his hopes to delay the federal trial.

Speaking to MSNBC on March 14, the day of the hearing, Katyal said Cannon's decision in favor of Smith's office was only a partial victory, similar to what may occur with the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on whether Trump can cite presidential immunity to dismiss his federal election obstruction case. The former president has maintained his innocence in that case as well.

"There is no chance that Trump is going to win and that the court is going to say he has absolute immunity. But what the Supreme Court did there is delay his trial for January 6 charges potentially to after the election," Katyal said. "And the same thing I fear is happening with Judge Cannon, she keeps kicking the can down the road. The fact that she had a daylong hearing today on these two bogus issues tells you everything you need to know. The only thing that Donald Trump's arguments warrant are an eye roll and a swift denial."

That's why I asked if she is smart enough to scheme this on her own or is someone helping/coaching her?

Good question.

Perhaps the answer is that she's smart enough to ask (or listen to) the right people (in her opinion - long term personal best interest) to help with the strategy. I'm sure she didn't have to ask. Most likely the real help she's getting is some power running interference for her to channel the focused type of help deemed, by the power, to be the best.

After all, she has a long list of people to satisfy, with Trump at the top.

It's interesting because most of us had no idea how the law, system, could be gamed or played so effectively until Trump and his lawyers and loyalists in congress showed us.

All we can do is pay attention and hope Jack Smith has the smarts, tricks, experience, skills, support, etc. to game it better.