Unconvinced Mar-a-Lago judge says it’s ‘difficult to see’ how Trump’s nod to George Washington can make Espionage Act indictment vanish

Donald Trump, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, special counsel Jack Smith

Left: Donald Trump (AP Photo/Mike Stewart), File); Center: U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon (U.S. Senate); Right: Special counsel Jack Smith (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago documents case has indefinitely delayed a key hearing in the case – a move that will only further push back the already long-running pretrial process.

On Wednesday afternoon, in an order in anticipation of June 2024 hearings, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon laid most of the blame for the re-scheduling order on special counsel Jack Smith, recently filing a motion requesting a gag order be issued against the 45th president. Additionally, the court said the rescheduling would help deal with one of Trump’s motions that was filed all the way back in March.

Now, a three-day hearing previously scheduled for June 24-26 has been canceled. The judge did not provide a timeline for when the hearing will occur, only noting it will “be reset by subsequent Order.”