A federal judge issued a ruling on Labor Day that is, unfortunately, no longer surprising even though it should be shocking to all but the most MAGA-blinded Americans. Judge Aileen Cannon, a Donald Trump appointee, ruled that executive privilege might apply in the case of the government-owned documents that the ex-president unlawfully secreted away to his Mar-a-Lago lair. She also ruled that the criminal probe of Trump must stop pending the appointment of a special master to sift out potentially privileged documents that are part of a trove that Trump unlawfully kept after leaving office.
Cannon’s ruling handed Trump a major, albeit undeserved, victory in his effort to delay the Justice Department’s criminal inquiry. Trump is trying hard to demonstrate his ongoing relevance ahead of the November midterm elections, and by allowing him to delay the criminal investigation, Cannon helps Trump avoid more embarrassments that could make voters think twice about the extremists he is supporting. The judge justified her ruling by citing the “extraordinary circumstances” surrounding this case. Given the context of her ruling, she might actually be asserting that, in fact, some people are above the law.
Trump nominated Cannon in May 2020 and the Senate confirmed her only nine days after Trump’s election loss. Experts from across the political spectrum say her ruling makes no sense on legal grounds and smacks heavily of political bias.
