Man indicted for threatening to murder federal judge in district overseeing Trump case

An Illinois man was indicted after allegedly threatening to assault and murder a federal judge thought to be the one overseeing former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case, according to an indictment made public on Thursday.

The defendant, Eric Rennert, also made threats to kidnap the judge’s family in St. Lucie County, Florida, according to the indictment. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon was appointed to the bench by Trump in May 2020 and is the only district judge where the alleged threats were made, according to Bloomberg Law.

Rennert allegedly acted with “the intent to communicate a true threat of violence and with recklessness as to whether the communication would be viewed as a true threat of violence,” according to the indictment. The indictment also states that Rennert made the alleged threats starting in May 2024, and later made more threats in July 2024.

Cannon was appointed to oversee Trump’s classified documents criminal case in June 2023. Trump asked Cannon to dismiss the case in February 2024 based on the Presidential Records Act (PRA), which is an act that governs the official records of presidents and vice presidents. The judge denied Trump’s call for dismissal because she said Counts 1-32 of Trump’s indictment did not reference the act.

Cannon questioned in March 2024 why Trump was the only U.S. president charged over his handling of classified materials. The judge has also repeatedly faced criticism by liberal commentators who claim she favored Trump during the criminal case.

The federal judge ultimately ruled to dismiss Trump’s classified documents case in July 2024, based on the argument that special counsel Jack Smith was unlawfully appointed. Smith announced following the decision that he intended to appeal Cannon’s ruling.

Trump’s indictment in the case caused an uproar among many Republican leaders, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said in June 2023 that the indictment was a “weaponization” of the law. Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz questioned special counsel Robert Hur in March 2024 over why he did not charge President Joe Biden and the ghostwriter of his book over their handling of classified documents.

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