An appeals court has dismissed charges related to Donald Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents, effectively ending Special Counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution of Trump. The charges against Trump included retaining national defense information after leaving office and directing the deletion of security video at his Mar-a-Lago resort. The special counsel’s office also sought to dismiss charges related to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, which were granted by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan. The appointment of Smith as special counsel was deemed illegal, leading to the dismissal of the documents case against Trump initially. The conclusion of these cases was expected after Trump’s re-election due to Justice Department policy that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted.
Two criminal cases against Trump in New York and Georgia involving hush money payments and election interference are also in limbo. Trump’s attorneys have argued for presidential immunity protections in the New York case, where he was found guilty of falsifying business records tied to a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. Trump has continued to claim that the prosecutions were politically motivated and has pleaded not guilty in both cases. The Georgia case, brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, has been delayed due to conflict of interest allegations against Willis. Trump has criticized the cases as being lawless and politically driven, but has declared victory in persevering against the odds.
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