US District Judge Aileen Cannon, the federal judge presiding over Donald Trump’s classified documents case in Florida, has dismissed it, saying the appointment of the special prosecutor who brought the case was unconstitutional.
Trump was accused of illegally keeping top secret documents that he took from the White House in 2021 after losing the presidential election to Biden. He was also accused of obstructing the FBI’s efforts to get the papers back.
He had pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing.
US District Judge Aileen Cannon granted the defence motion to dismiss the case.
“Former President Trump’s Motion to Dismiss Indictment Based on the Unlawful Appointment and Funding of Special Counsel Jack Smith is GRANTED,” Cannon wrote in her order.
“The Superseding Indictment is DISMISSED because Special Counsel Smith’s appointment violates the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution,” the order added.
Lawyers for Trump had argued that Special Counsel Jack Smith was illicitly appointed and his office was improperly funded by the Justice Department.
Smith’s team had vigorously contested the argument during hearings before Cannon last month.
The decision by Cannon, who was appointed by Trump in 2020, is seen as a huge victory for the former U.S President.
This is Trump’s second legal victory in about two weeks.
In early July, he had another major legal victory when he was found to have partial immunity for some of his actions in office.
Trump said that the dismissal of his classified documents case “should be just the first step,” and called for his other cases to also be dismissed.
“As me move forward in Uniting our Nation after the horrific events on Saturday, this dismissal of the Lawless Indictment in Florida should be just the first step, followed quickly by the dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts — The January 6th Hoax in Washington, D.C., the Manhattan D.A.’s Zombie Case, the New York A.G. Scam, Fake Claims about a woman I never met (a decades old photo in a line with her then husband does not count), and the Georgia “Perfect” Phone Call charges,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Trump again claimed without evidence all the charges against him were “Political Attacks.”
“The Democrat Justice Department coordinated ALL of these Political Attacks, which are an Election Interference conspiracy against Joe Biden’s Political Opponent, ME,” he stated.
“Let us come together to END all Weaponization of our Justice System, and Make America Great Again!” Trump posted.
Democrats Criticise Ruling
Following Judge Aileen Cannon’s ruling in Trump’s classified documents case, some Democrats publicly denounced the decision.
Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer said, “This breathtakingly misguided ruling flies in the face of long-accepted practice and repetitive judicial precedence.”
“It is wrong on the law and must be appealed immediately. This is further evidence that Judge Cannon cannot handle this case impartially and must be reassigned,” Schumer added.
Rep. Adam Schiff, a longtime critic of Donald Trump and a senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, noted, “Today’s precedent-shattering decision in Florida is further proof that the guardrails of our democracy are coming down.”
Rep. Eric Swalwell responded to Trump’s Truth Social post, which called for all prosecutions against him to be dropped, saying “I knew this mad man would soon be back. He’s incapable of unifying peanut butter and jelly.”
Rep. Raul Grijalva said, “The dismissal of this case reflects a clear bias for the former president and the outlying opinion of the far-right wing Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.”
He called on Attorney General Merrick Garland and Special Counsel Jack Smith to appeal the decision.
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