Donald Trump's inclusion of Aileen Cannon as a possible attorney general candidate is "insane", a former Watergate prosecutor has said in response to reports the former president is considering the judge for the job if he wins the presidency.
ABC News reported on Tuesday that Cannon's name appears on a document the network had reviewed titled 'Transition Planning: Legal Principles,' which "lists potential staffing for the White House counsel's office, the Department of Justice, the FBI, and U.S. attorneys' offices."
In July, Cannon, a Trump appointee, dismissed all federal charges against the former president in his classified documents case after ruling that the chief prosecutor, Jack Smith, was illegally appointed.
On X (formerly Twitter), on Tuesday, Jill Wine-Banks wrote that Trump's inclusion of Cannon is "insane."
Wine-Banks, a former prosecutor and former executive director of the American Bar Association, shared a post by political strategist, Lindy Li, who attacked Cannon's record in the Trump case.
"Judge Aileen Cannon delayed Trump's trial past the election and ran out the clock for him. She protected Trump every step of the way. She attacked Jack Smith and smeared his role as unconstitutional. Now Trump is considering making her Attorney General. Can you say QUID PRO QUO?!" Li wrote.
Attorney Tristan Snell wrote on X that if Trump is elected and appoints Cannon as attorney general, it should be "grounds for IMMEDIATE investigation" and asked if there is a "quid pro quo" in Trump's classified documents case.
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.
The Republican presidential nominee had pleaded not guilty and has said the case is part of a political witch hunt.
Newsweek sought email comment from Trump's attorney and Cannon's office on Wednesday.
In her dismissal of the charges on July 15, Cannon noted that there is no constitutional backing for appointing Smith, a "private citizen", as a Department of Justice prosecutor in charge of Trump's federal indictments.
Smith is now appealing that decision to a federal appellate court in Florida.
"The document was drafted by Trump's top advisers with input from Boris Epshteyn, who oversees Trump's legal team and is one of Trump's most trusted advisers," ABC reported.
"Cannon's name appears second after former SEC Chairman Jay Clayton, according to the document reviewed by ABC News, which includes nearly a dozen potential candidates for attorney general," ABC reported.
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