An appeals court has agreed to dismiss charges against Donald Trump related to mishandling classified documents, ending Special Counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution of the former president. The charges included allegations of retaining national defense information and directing the deletion of security video at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Another case regarding Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election was also dismissed by a U.S. District Judge. The Justice Department policy that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted played a role in the dismissal of these cases. Smith and his team plan to resign before Trump’s inauguration and file a formal report on his charges. Two remaining criminal cases against Trump, involving hush money payments in New York and election interference in Georgia, are also facing delays. Trump’s attorneys argue that presidential immunity protections should prevent sentencing in the New York case. The Georgia case has been delayed due to conflict of interest allegations against the prosecutor. Trump continues to assert that the prosecutions were politically motivated and has pleaded not guilty in both cases. He called the cases “empty and lawless” in a statement on social media, portraying himself as the victim of political persecution.
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Appeals court rules to dismiss Trump’s case involving classified documents
