Federal investigation of Trump ends after appeals court dismisses him from classified documents case

A day after special counsel Jack Smith moved in dismiss both cases Following the lawsuit against President-elect Donald Trump, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit complied by removing Trump from Smith’s appeal in the classified documents case, ending Trump’s prosecution on federal charges.

“Appellant’s motion to dismiss the Donald J. Trump-only challenge is GRANTED,” the Eleventh Circuit clerk wrote in a one-sentence order Tuesday.

Smith continues to appeal U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s dismissal of Trump’s dismissal of the case along with two defendants, longtime valet Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira.

In a filing Tuesday, Smith urged the appeals court to reverse its decision to throw out Cannon’s classified documents case because of the constitutionality of Smith’s appointment as special counsel.

Smith moved to dismiss Trump from the case on Monday because of the Justice Department’s long-standing policy barring prosecution of a sitting president.

Embers did not admit his guilt He filed 37 criminal charges last year over his handling of classified materials after prosecutors said he repeatedly refused to return hundreds of documents containing classified information, from U.S. nuclear secrets to the country’s defense capabilities, and took steps to thwart government efforts to obtain it. documents back.

Trump with Nauta and De Oliveira did not admit his guilt Trump allegedly attempted to delete relevant surveillance footage from his Mar-a-Lago mansion.

Judge Cannon dismissed the case Last July, a lawsuit was filed against the three defendants on the grounds that Smith’s appointment as special counsel to oversee the case was unconstitutional because he was not appointed by the president or approved by Congress.

In Tuesday’s filing, Smith urged the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse Cannon’s “flawed” conclusion, thus continuing the case against Nauta and De Oliveira.

“More than 50 years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress gave the Attorney General the authority to appoint special prosecutors, such as the Special Counsel, and that the text, context, and history of four statutes the Supreme Court identified, as well as the long-term appointment. In the filing, the history of special counsel appointments is a reason why Nixon was right “It confirms that it is.”

“The Special Counsel’s decision to pursue this case even after dismissing the case against President Trump is an unsurprising tribute to the poor judgment that led to the indictment against Mr. De Oliveira,” De Oliveira’s attorney, John Irving, said in a statement Monday. First of all, Oliveira. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. “If they want a slow acquittal, that’s fine with us.”

Tuesday’s lawsuit was the last time Smith filed a lawsuit against Trump as a defendant.

“The government has moved to dismiss this challenge to Donald Trump. If granted, defendant Trump will not appear in the title on future filings in this case,” Smith wrote in a footnote to the filing.

Smith’s other lawsuit against Trump involves the former president’s alleged efforts. Annulling the 2020 election resultsHe was dismissed Monday at Smith’s request because of the Justice Department’s presidential immunity policy.