Judge dismisses secret documents case against Trump

The former president had already pleaded not guilty to the charges

Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed this Monday (15) the criminal case against former President Donald Trump in which he is accused of having illegally stored classified White House documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence.

In the ruling, Cannon ruled that the appointment of special prosecutor Jack Smith, who was charged with leading the investigation, was unconstitutional.

“The superseding indictment is dismissed because the appointment of Special Counsel Smith violates the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution,” he wrote.

According to the judge, the appointment is unconstitutional because it “effectively usurps” the authority of Congress.

Last year, the mogul pleaded not guilty to 37 criminal charges stemming from the discovery of numerous classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago mansion.

Investigators accused Trump of taking about 300 classified documents to his home, and at least 100 were recovered by the FBI during a search and seizure operation.

“After careful consideration of the fundamental challenges raised in the motion, the Court is convinced that Special Counsel Smith’s conduct in this action violates two structural pillars of our constitutional scheme: Congress’s role in appointing constitutional officers and Congress’s role in authorizing spending by law,” Cannon added.

The judge, however, said his ruling does not apply to other jurisdictions, which means the order may not apply to the special counsel’s election interference case against Trump on Jan. 6.

At 76, the Republican, who will seek re-election in the next election and was the target of an attack during a campaign rally last weekend, was considered the first former president in the country to face federal charges.

Source: Terra

Rose

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