An American judge prevents the publication of a report on Trump’s keeping of secret documents
A US federal judge on Monday issued a gag order on a report prepared by former special prosecutor Jack Smith on charges against the president of keeping classified documents." target="_blank">Donald Trump.
Judge Eileen Cannon, who was appointed by Trump In his first presidential term, the case related to secret documents was filed against the latter in July 2024, indicating that Smith’s appointment was in violation of the law.
The Department of Justice at the time appealed Cannon’s decision, but returned and dropped the case after Trump won the presidential election in November 2024.
Trump was also accused of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 elections, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden, and Smith dropped that case. Also, in keeping with the Justice Department’s policy of not prosecuting a sitting president.
Defendants enjoy the presumption of innocence
On Monday, Cannon granted a request by Trump and two of his co-defendants seeking to block the publication of Smith’s report related to his investigation into the classified documents case.
Cannon said that publishing evidence collected by prosecutors in a case that did not result in any conviction would be unfair.
Cannon wrote in her decision, "Revealing material from files not intended for publication would contradict the most basic concepts of justice and fairness"
She continued, "The former defendants in this case, like any other defendant in a similar situation, continue to enjoy the presumption of innocence."
The judge added "The court has difficulty finding a case in which a former special prosecutor published a report after criminal charges were brought that did not lead to any conviction"
Smith accused Trump of keeping secret documents at his residence in the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida after leaving the White House in January 2021, and of obstructing efforts to recover them, which Trump denied.
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