The far-right Florida Republican Matt Gaetz has hailed Aileen Cannon – the judge who dismissed the classified documents case against Donald Trump – as a “future supreme court justice”.
“Future supreme court justice Cannon,” Gaetz posted Monday to social media, with a picture of the Florida jurist.
In four years as president, Trump nominated three hardline rightwingers to the supreme court. Tilted 6-3 to the right, the court has delighted conservatives and enraged liberals by handing down epochal rulings against abortion, restricting gun control, granting presidential immunity and more.
Trump nominated Cannon to the federal bench in November 2020, at the end of his time in power.
Since leaving the White House, he has faced unprecedented legal jeopardy.
In civil cases, Trump was fined millions for business fraud and defamation arising from a rape allegation a judge called “substantially true”.
In criminal cases, Trump was convicted in New York on 34 criminal charges related to hush-money payments. He still faces four federal charges and 10 Georgia state charges arising from his attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
Cannon was randomly assigned to Trump’s federal documents case, in which the special counsel Jack Smith brought 40 charges related to improper retention of classified information.
The judge was widely criticised for perceived partiality to Trump, as she repeatedly delayed proceedings. Ultimately, on Monday, she threw the case out, ruling Smith improperly appointed.
The decision seemed destined for appeal. The case could also potentially be refiled and handed to a different judge. Nonetheless, Trump supporters celebrated.
Gaetz tweeted: “CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS CASE DISMISSED!!!!!!”
His decision to call Cannon a “future supreme court justice” prompted angry responses. Ally Sammarco, an anti-Trump strategist and commentator, asked: “Are you admitting to a quid pro quo”?
Such upset was familiar. A dedicated provocateur who describes himself as a “Florida man, built for battle”, the 42-year-old Gaetz has been stirring trouble in Congress since 2017.
Last year, he made history by leading the first removal of a House speaker by members of his own party.
That Republican speaker, Kevin McCarthy, has accused Gaetz of seeking revenge for ongoing investigations of alleged sexual and personal misconduct.
On Monday, the Republican national convention began in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Gaetz is due to address the event this week.
But he is also widely held to be preparing a run for Florida governor and on Monday he was due to appear in his home state, staging a “Never Surrender Rally” at a Baptist church in Pensacola.
According to promotional materials, the event would offer Floridians a chance “to show your support and pray for president Donald J Trump”, after he survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
