'Both sides missed this': Retired electrician mansplains law to Aileen Cannon

A retired electrician from California claims to have shattered special counsel Jack Smith's case against former President Donald Trump — the result of a years long investigation that ended in conspiracy charges linked to classified documents.

Private citizen Darryl Phillips filed this month an unsealed request to submit an amicus brief that argues he is specially placed to find flaws in the 49-page indictment Smith filed against Trump in Florida's federal court on June 8, 2023.

"He has experience analyzing complex systems, software and semiconductors," writes Phillips. "He has written many technical reports."

Phillips goes on to explain his interest in Trump's Espionage Act violations case — linked to an August 2022 FBI search of his Florida social club that found classified documents stored in a ballroom, bathroom and shower — was sparked by a challenge.

"This amicus brief is written after accepting a challenge to read the indictment," Phillips writes. The retired engineer said he was able to apply "engineering critical thinking skills to analysis of the indictment, finding many serious flaws in it."

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Phillips then throws his support behind the former commander-in-chief's efforts to toss the case based on the Presidential Records Act.

Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed that motion earlier this month, noting the former president's argument made “no reference to the Presidential Records Act”, but Phillips suggested she reconsider.

After explaining his interpretation of congressional law to the federal judge, Phillips takes a broader view and contends both sides of the case made mistakes.

"Both the Plaintiff and Defendant failed in their understanding and presentation of the law as it relates to the facts of the case," Phillips wrote.

Phillips does a chronological assessment of Smith's indictment and concludes with findings he describes as a "knowing lie" pertaining to the removal of boxes from the White House to the Mar-a-Lago Club's White and Gold Ballroom in January, 2021.

"This collapses the Plaintiff's case," Phillips contends. "Both sides missed this and it is clearly important."

The retired engineer concludes with a request to Cannon.

"Patience from the Court is requested regarding deadlines," he writes. "The ability to file an amicus brief pro se as a private citizen was only learned about on 4/4/2024."

Court records show Cannon Tuesday denied his request to submit the brief.