Former White House attorney Ty Cobb said it’s a “remarkable coincidence” that the case involving former President Trump’s second assassination threat was assigned to U.S. Judge Aileen Cannon.
Cannon, who was appointed by Trump, oversaw the former president’s classified documents case. She tossed the charges earlier this year ruling that the special counsel in the case, Jack Smith, was not lawfully appointed.
“I was gonna say, ‘You can’t make this up.’ I think it’s a remarkable coincidence,” Cobb told CNN’s Erin Burnett, when asked to weigh in. “I would suspect that she may recuse herself or have the case reassigned.”
“The defense attorney will certainly file motion to transfer case to another judge, citing to her palpable bias,” he added later.
Cobb, who has been critical of the judge in the past, said if Cannon doesn’t grant that motion, a court order may be necessary to require a government official or agency to take action.
“If she doesn’t grant that motion, it would be an interesting potential mandamus issue for the defendant to try to get 11th circuit to remove her and also it’s certainly a very good appellate motion for defendant,” Cobb said.
“I suspect she will not be the trial judge in that case, but in the times that we’re living in, it’s just one more crazy fact,” he added.
His comments come a day after a federal grand jury indicted the suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, on five charges. Routh, who showed up to one of Trump’s golf courses with a file, could face up to life in prison over the apparent assassination attempt.
The charges mark a significant escalation in the case and comes after prosecutors revealed that Routh allegedly wrote a letter months beforehand detailing his plans.
Records show the case was randomly assigned to Cannon.
