Biden says he's 'not surprised' by judge's 'specious' decision to toss Trump documents case
President Joe Biden on Monday criticized U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon's decision to dismiss the classified documents case against Donald Trump, calling the ruling "specious" and suggesting it was inspired by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
President Joe Biden on Monday criticized U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon's decision to dismiss the classified documents case against Donald Trump, calling the ruling "specious" and suggesting it was inspired by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
"I'm not surprised," Biden told NBC News anchor Lester Holt about the ruling, which tossed out the criminal case against Trump in Florida, finding that the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith was illegal.
He said the ruling "comes from the immunity decision the Supreme Court ruled on" this month, and he pointed to a concurring opinion in the ruling by Thomas, which he inaccurately referred to as a dissent. It was a concurrence that no other justices joined.
"Clarence Thomas, in his dissent, said that independent prosecutors created by the attorney general aren’t legit. That’s the basis of which this judge moved to dismiss," Biden said.
In his opinion, Thomas challenged Smith’s appointment. “If there is no law establishing the office that the Special Counsel occupies, then he cannot proceed with this prosecution. A private citizen cannot criminally prosecute anyone, let alone a former President,” Thomas wrote.
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