Judge closes proceedings against Donald Trump – special investigator appeals


The former president had kept secret documents in his private residence
Source: REUTERS
A federal judge in Florida dropped the case against former President Donald Trump over the handling of confidential documents. She justified this with concerns about the role of special investigator Jack Smith. However, he has announced an appeal.
DSpecial Counsel Jack Smith will appeal the dismissal of the case in the document scandal against former US President Donald Trump. The Justice Department has authorized Smith to appeal the decision, Smith’s spokesman Peter Carr said on Monday.
Federal judge Aileen Cannon, appointed by Trump himself, had previously closed the proceedings against the former president in his document scandal. She justified her decision by saying that the Justice Department had violated the Constitution by appointing a special investigator to investigate the case. She thereby granted a request from Trump’s lawyers.
Trump had been criminally charged in the case in federal court in the state of Florida for taking secret government documents to his private residence.
In dismissing the case, the judge followed Trump’s lawyers’ argument that the appointment was unconstitutional because Smith was neither appointed by the president nor confirmed by the Senate and that the office of special counsel Jack Smith was inappropriately funded by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Smith’s defense had always denied the allegations. According to “New York Times” It was assumed that Jack Smith’s lawyers would go into their careers.
Trump still considered the discontinuance of the proceedings a success. This should be “just the first step,” quickly followed by the discontinuance of all proceedings, the Republican wrote on his Truth Social platform. Once again he wrote of “witch hunts.” The Justice Department is coordinating all of these “political attacks” to conspire against him.
Of all the ongoing proceedings against the Republican presidential candidate-elect, who narrowly survived an assassination attempt during a campaign rally on Saturday, the one that has now been suspended was considered the most sensitive for Trump.
Trump’s house searched two years ago
In August 2022, the FBI searched Trump’s villa in Florida and seized several sets of documents classified as top secret. Trump is also accused of conspiring to obstruct the investigation: he is said to have tried to use employees to make material from surveillance cameras disappear and to have boxes of documents removed.
Trump pleaded not guilty when the charges were presented in Miami last year. His lawyers tried to stop the proceedings with various motions.
Judge Cannon, who is responsible for the document proceedings, was once appointed by Trump. In recent months, critics have accused her of dragging out the proceedings and processing applications in slow motion.
A few weeks ago, Trump was able to win another case before the Supreme Court. The US Supreme Court ruled that Trump enjoys extensive protection from prosecution for actions in his presidency. This decision does not have anything to do directly with the discontinuance of the proceedings in Miami – but it may have an indirect connection.
In a statement on the immunity ruling, Judge Clarence Thomas wrote that special counsel Smith was not lawfully appointed and therefore had no authority to prosecute Trump. Thomas’s text in the ruling did not indicate any immediate legal consequences.