President Donald J. Trump (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead) The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday granted a request from Sp
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday granted a request from Special Counsel Jack Smith to dismiss President-elect Donald Trump’s Florida classified documents case, effectively ending efforts to prosecute him over retaining records with classified markings after leaving the White House.
The decision comes as Smith cited Trump’s impending inauguration and the Department of Justice policy barring the prosecution of sitting presidents. While the case against Trump is now closed, the legal battle continues for his two co-defendants, Walt Nauta, a former valet, and Carlos de Oliveira, a property manager at Mar-a-Lago.
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The case revolved around allegations that Trump unlawfully retained classified documents after leaving office and obstructed efforts to retrieve them. However, the dismissal also stems from a previous ruling by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who determined that Smith’s appointment as special counsel was unlawful, thereby tossing the case.
While legal experts suggested Smith’s appeal against Cannon’s ruling had a strong chance of success—given it contradicted 50 years of precedent regarding special counsel regulations—the dismissal preempts any further proceedings against Trump himself.
The classified documents case marked one of the most serious legal challenges facing Trump after his presidency. Prosecutors accused him of violating the Espionage Act and obstructing justice by refusing repeated requests to return government records, including defying a subpoena.
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In an unprecedented search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, federal agents recovered over 300 documents with classified markings. Photos from the search showed the boxes stored haphazardly in places like a bathroom and a ballroom, with some spilling open.
Among the recovered materials were documents bearing some of the government’s highest classification levels, including those related to human intelligence sources and U.S. nuclear capabilities.
A superseding indictment revealed Trump’s alleged attempts to conceal evidence, including coordinating with Nauta and de Oliveira to delete surveillance footage showing boxes of documents being moved around Mar-a-Lago.
The case’s dismissal closes one chapter in Trump’s legal battles but does not shield his co-defendants from ongoing litigation. For Trump, it eliminates one of the most serious cases tied to his post-presidential actions, particularly given a Supreme Court ruling granting broad immunity to former presidents for actions taken while in office.
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As Smith also seeks to drop Trump’s election interference case, citing similar legal constraints, the developments highlight the limitations of prosecuting a president-elect, particularly one who will soon assume office again.
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