Appeals court grants Trump’s request to drop classified documents case

An appeals court has dismissed charges against former President Donald Trump related to mishandling classified documents and directing the deletion of security video at his Mar-a-Lago resort. This decision effectively ends Special Counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution of Trump. Smith’s office had also sought to dismiss charges against Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, which was granted by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan. The conclusion of these cases had been expected after Trump’s re-election, following the Justice Department policy that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted. Smith and his team are planning to resign before Trump’s inauguration, and he is expected to file a formal report on his charges before stepping down. The two remaining criminal cases against Trump, involving hush money payments in New York and election interference in Georgia, are also in limbo. Trump’s attorneys have argued for presidential immunity protections in the New York case, and the sentencing has been postponed. The Georgia case has been held up over conflict of interest allegations against the district attorney. Trump has maintained his innocence, claiming the prosecutions were politically motivated. He described the cases as “empty and lawless” and a “political hijacking.”

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