Today is Wednesday, May 22, 2024. As the country waits with bated breath over the election interference trial of the twice-impeached, adjudicated sexual predator and former president, a hearing in Florida over Trump’s second, pending case involving the illegal storage of highly classified documents devolved into a shouting match in front of partisan judge Aileen Cannon among the attorneys. This development is covered in an online CNN article by Hannah Rabinowitz, Tierney Sneed, and Evan Perez entitled “Florida hearing in Trump classified documents case devolves into shouting match.”

The heated arguments played out in a morning proceeding in Fort Pierce, Florida, that had been scheduled for Walt Nauta, one of former president Donald Dump’s codefendants, to present arguments that special counsel Jack Smith’s team had selectively and vindictively brought charges against him.

But the hearing quickly diverted into a long-standing disagreement over an August 2022 meeting between prosecutor Jay Bratt and Nauta’s defense lawyer, Stanley Woodward. Woodward has claimed in court proceedings and filings that Bratt attempted to pressure him into convincing Nauta to cooperate against Trump by threatening to effect a potential judgeship nomination. As expected with this Chump loyalist of a judge, Cannon failed to issue a ruling from the bench on Nauta’s motion that the case be dismissed on those grounds.

Nauta claims he was criminally charged in the case as retaliation for declining to cooperate with the Justice Department’s investigation into the former president’s retention of classified documents at his estate.

Woodward’s assertion that he was being considered for a judgeship was countered by prosecutor David Harbach who accused Woodward of engaging in “procedural gamesmanship” by making a “garbage argument” about the meeting.

“Mr. Woodward’s story of what happened at that meeting is a fantasy,” Harbach shouted, banging his hand on the lectern in front of him. “It did not happen.”

The hearing was the first before Cannon since she indefinitely delayed the start of the trial, which had been scheduled to begin as early as this week. It has been more than a month since the judge last held a public, in-person hearing in the case – though she has held at least one sealed proceeding since then.

Cannon’s slow pace in the case has attracted criticism from outside legal experts, who have accused the Drumpf-appointed judge of playing into delay tactics by the GOP’s presumptive White House nominee. Unless Cannon picks up her momentum considerably, it appears unlikely that the charges will go before a jury before the 2024 election. If this does happen, and it appears as if this might be the reality of the situation, it would be a crying shame, in my opinion. If God forbid, Drumpf wins the White House again, it is widely expected he will make the charges against him fade into oblivion.

If there is any other case involving the much disgraced ex-president that begs to be heard by a jury, it’s this one that appears to be headed nowhere, thanks to the ministrations of this highly ineffective judge who is advertently – or inadvertently – helping the cause of the allegedly felonious former president by working too methodically. At some point, Mr. Smith might ask that she be excused from the case because of her highly nonobjective mien.

As I indicated in yesterday’s blog, I will be away starting tomorrow. Elliot and I will assume the role of dog-“takers,” as we look after Elliot’s bungalow colony friend’s canine companion. If everything goes well, we’ll take side trips away from the rustic setting and go into town or go to New Paltz or somewhere else, as I had mentioned.

Have a good two days without me!

Stay safe and be well.