Trump's classified documents criminal case dismissed

A judge in Florida has dismissed the criminal case relating to classified documents that were found at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

The former US president, who is recovering from an assassination attempt at the weekend, has said on his Truth Social platform that the throwing out of the case should be “just the first step” and that it should be “followed quickly by the dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts”.

Trump is referring to the other criminal cases he faces – having been charged in relation to the 6 January Capitol riots and accused of electoral fraud in the state of Georgia.

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The 78-year-old also became the first US president to ever be criminally convicted after he was found guilty of falsifying business records to commit election fraud in a hush money trial in May.

After his classified documents case was thrown out today, Trump began by referencing the assassination attempt when he wrote: “As we move forward in Uniting our Nation after the horrific events on Saturday, this dismissal of the Lawless Indictment in Florida should be just the first step, followed quickly by the dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts.

He then listed the cases he felt should be dropped, before adding: “The Democrat Justice Department coordinated ALL of these Political Attacks, which are an Election Interference conspiracy against Joe Biden’s Political Opponent, ME.

“Let us come together to END all Weaponization of our Justice System, and Make America Great Again!”

The throwing out of Trump’s classified documents case represents a major legal victory as the Republican seeks a return to the White House

Florida-based US District Aileen Cannon agreed with the former president’s defence lawyers that Special Counsel Jack Smith, who was leading the prosecution, was unlawfully appointed to his role and did not have the authority to bring the case.

The judge also ruled that Mr Smith’s office was improperly funded by the Justice Department.

Mr Smith’s team vigorously contested the arguments made by Trump’s defence team during hearings before Ms Cannon last month.

The special counsel’s team also told the judge that even if she ruled in the defence team’s favour, the proper outcome would not be to dismiss the entire case.

The order by Ms Cannon, who was nominated by Trump, is the latest example of the judge handling the case in ways that have benefited the ex-president.

She came under scrutiny during the FBI’s investigation when she appointed an independent arbiter to inspect the classified documents recovered during the August 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago – a decision that was overturned months later by a unanimous federal appeals panel.

Since then, she has been slow to issue rulings, favouring Trump’s strategy of securing delays, and has entertained defence arguments that experts said other judges would have dismissed without hearings.

In May, she indefinitely cancelled the trial date amid a series of unresolved legal issues.

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What other cases is Trump facing?

In the 6 January riots case, Trump has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the US government and witness tampering in relation to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election result.

Meanwhile, Trump was formally booked on 13 charges of electoral fraud at Georgia’s Fulton County jail in August 2023, but three of the counts were later thrown out.

While he was there, he had his mugshot and fingerprints taken before being released on bail.

The first of the four cases Trump had been facing was resolved in May – with the former US president found guilty of falsifying business records to commit election fraud.

Trump was convicted after being at the centre of a scheme to cover up “hush money” payments to buy the silence of a porn star in the days before the 2016 election.

When revelations by Stormy Daniels of a sexual liaison with Trump threatened to upend his presidential campaign, he directed his lawyer to pay her $130,000 (£102,000) to keep her quiet.

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