Judge Aileen Cannon might have provided an opportunity for Hunter Biden’s federal gun charges to be dismissed, some have alleged on social media.
A new legal filing on Monday morning showed that Cannon dismissed former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case on the grounds that special counsel Jack Smith was not properly appointed. The ruling comes days after Trump was injured during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Trump was facing 40 federal charges in Cannon’s court over his alleged handling of sensitive materials seized from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, after leaving the White House in January 2021. He was also accused of obstructing efforts by federal authorities to retrieve them. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Trump welcomed the news on Truth Social, calling the dismissal the “first step” in dismissing all the “witch hunts” against him.
However, some people are arguing that Cannon’s ruling also could benefit Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, who was found guilty on all three counts in his gun case last month. Hunter was prosecuted by special counsel David Weiss.
“If Judge Cannon’s ruling holds, the Hunter Biden conviction would have to be thrown out,” MSNBC executive producer Kyle Griffin posted on X, formerly Twitter.
“Using Judge Cannon’s reasoning in dismissing documents/obstruction case means Hunter Biden case should be dismissed as well.. he too was prosecuted by Special Counsel…” NewsNation host Dan Abrams posted.
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Department of Justice via an online contact form and to Abbe Lowell, Biden’s lawyer, via email for comment.
Others rejected the suggestion that Cannon’s ruling would help Biden given that Weiss’s appointment was lawful and he is a current U.S. attorney.
Hunter Biden in Wilmington, Delaware, on June 6. Some are speculating on social media that Judge Aileen Cannon’s dismissal of the Trump classified document case might help Biden. Hunter Biden in Wilmington, Delaware, on June 6. Some are speculating on social media that Judge Aileen Cannon’s dismissal of the Trump classified document case might help Biden. Getty
Former federal prosecutor and elected state attorney Michael McAuliffe told Newsweek that Cannon’s dismissal of the Trump case “likely won’t impact the cases against Hunter Biden.”
“Cannon’s decision and rationale are not binding in any way on other federal courts, including the presiding judges in the two districts where charges were brought against Hunter Biden,” McAuliffe said. “Further, David Weiss, the special counsel in the Hunter Biden cases continues to also serve as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware; he was a U.S. attorney prior to his appointment as special counsel for the Hunter Biden matters.
“Weiss’s status as a Senate-confirmed prosecutor at the Department of Justice renders the Hunter Biden cases less susceptible to the special counsel appointment challenge that succeeded in the documents case.”
“While Cannon’s dismissal order reserves formal judgment (doesn’t make a finding) as to the inferior/principal officer issue, she employs basically the same analysis of factors in concluding that the special counsel regulations (or any other law) don’t empower the appointment and funding of a special counsel,” McAuliffe added.
“Because David Weiss, the special counsel in the Hunter Biden cases, also is a U.S. attorney, the distinction remains critical even if one adopts Cannon’s analysis.”
President Biden has previously said that he wouldn’t pardon his son.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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