Two fellow federal District Court judges attempted to push Judge Aileen Cannon to hand off the classified documents prosecution of former President Donald J. Trump to another judge in Miami, Florida.
One of the judges involved in the intimidation effort was the Southern District of Florida chief judge, Cecilia M. Altonaga, who was appointed to the bench by former President George W. Bush.Judge Altonaga's husband, attorney George Mencio, has made extensive contributions to the Bush family's political operations-suggesting the couple have a more Republican establishment-aligned and anti-Trump mentality.
At the time, Judge Cannon's Fort Pierce courthouse lacked a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, which is required to review classified materials.
After the unidentified judge made the initial attempt, the effort to push out Judge Cannon escalated to the District Court's chief judge.
In an extraordinary move, Judge Altonaga called Cannon and is said to have informed her that overseeing the case would be bad optics for the court.
Judge Cannon has been a harsh critic of Smith's aggressive tactics, noting he has-on several occasions-engaged in ethically and legally dubious behavior.
In May, Judge Cannon indefinitely suspended the trial date after Smith acknowledged that investigators may have tampered with and mishandled some classified materials by adding cover sheets, among other actions.
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