Former Trump White House attorney Ty Cobb went after federal Judge Aileen Cannon on Wednesday for indefinitely postponing former President Trump’s criminal classified documents case for procedural reasons, accusing her of “incompetence.”
“I don’t think this case will move at all,” Cobb said in an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett. “And I think the fact that she’s scheduling hearings, multiple hearings, sort of one or two motions at a time, is compelling evidence of that. Most federal judges would have long ago ruled on all the pending motions.”
“And frankly, this is a case that should’ve started trial yesterday or two days ago when the original trial date was set,” he continued. “This case could have easily gotten to trial. Only her incompetence and perceived bias has prevented that.”
Trump is accused of mishandling classified documents after he left the White House and obstructing an investigation to recover them. Cannon, a Trump appointee serving in the Southern District of Florida, has repeatedly delayed the case, and it is now unlikely to see trial before the upcoming election.
Cannon’s delays have garnered widespread criticism from Democrats, who view her actions as playing defense for the former president. If he is reelected in November, the Justice Department would likely move to drop the case.
“Justice deferred is often justice denied,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said earlier this month. “It is profoundly frustrating that the judge is managing this case in a way that is making it highly unlikely that it will be resolved in a timely fashion.”
After Cannon dropped a key trial deadline earlier this month, effectively delaying the case indefinitely, Cobb said the judge has “no intention of getting this case to trial.”
The judge has so far denied every attempt from the defendants to get the case thrown out but has taken months to rule on each motion, an especially slow time frame given the potential importance of the case to the 2024 election.