US Court Abruptly Dismisses Case against Trump over Classified Documents

On Monday, Florida District Judge Aileen Cannon ruled to dismiss the federal case against Donald Trump for improperly storing classified documents. This is one of four criminal proceedings against the former president, Reuters reports.

Cannon, who was once appointed by Trump, decided to dismiss the case against the former president, citing the allegedly illegal appointment of US Department of Justice Special Prosecutor Jack Smith. He is the prosecutor in this case.

The position that the prosecutor was illegally appointed was previously stated by Trump's lawyers. They argued that the office of Special Counsel Smith violated the US Constitution, as it had to be approved by Congress.

Cannon's decision is expected to be appealed. In other similar cases, the courts have repeatedly confirmed the right of the US Department of Justice to appoint special prosecutors to conduct politically sensitive investigations.

The judge in the classified documents case has previously made decisions favourable to Trump. Among other things, she has postponed the trial - which was due to start in May 2024 - indefinitely.

The current case concerns the former US president's improper storage of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. Trump faces a total of 37 counts of knowingly withholding information about national defence, conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document in a federal investigation with a corrupt element, and making false statements.

The most serious of these charges, related to the concealment of documents, carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

As The Gaze previously reported, former US President Donald Trump was wounded on Saturday night during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A sniper shot him in the ear.