Special counsel Jack Smith could consider ”nuclear button” in Trump’s classified documents case. Israel opens new aid routes into Gaza after pressure from President Biden. And more than 100,000 fish spilled out of an overturned truck — but most swam away alive.
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Jack Smith could be nearing his ‘breaking point’ in Trump’s classified docs case
Special counsel Jack Smith made clear this week that he wasn’t happy with Judge Aileen Cannon’s request for jury instructions from both sides in Donald Trump’s classified documents case. And depending on the outcome of Cannon’s decision on that matter, prosecutors and defense attorneys warn Smith could reach his “breaking point” — and maybe even seek Cannon’s removal from the case.
In other words, as one attorney put it, Smith is “close to pushing the nuclear button.”
Cannon’s request for jury instructions asked both prosecutors and Trump’s team to put forth competing versions of instructions for jurors centered around the Presidential Records Act. A final version of the instructions would be delivered to jurors at the end of a trial.
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But Smith shot back earlier this week, saying the request is “fundamentally flawed” because it would take into account Trump’s interpretation of how classified documents could be preserved after leaving office — which is at the center of the charge against the former president.
Cannon doesn’t seem to be backing down after Smith’s comments. For Smith to actually reach the point of pushing for Cannon’s removal from the case, a few more things would have to happen. Legal experts explain.
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More on Donald Trump’s cases:
- Cannon denied Trump’s bid to dismiss the classified documents case, rejecting his argument that the papers were considered personal under the Presidential Records Act…
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