Washington:
An appeal court has granted the request by prosecutors to drop the case against President-elect Donald Trump for mishandling classified documents. Special Counsel Jack Smith requested the dismissal citing the Justice Department’s policy of not prosecuting a sitting president.
Earlier this year, a Trump-appointed district court judge in Florida dismissed the documents case, which Smith appealed to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeals court granted Smith’s request to dismiss the case without providing further comment.
While the case against Trump has been dropped, Smith continues to pursue charges against Trump’s co-defendants, his valet Walt Nauta, and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira.
Trump, 78, was accused of removing classified documents after leaving the White House and obstructing efforts to recover them. He was also accused of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results won by Joe Biden. However, a judge recently granted a request to drop that case.
The special counsel has paused both federal cases following Trump’s victory in the recent presidential election. Trump still faces legal challenges in New York and Georgia, including a conviction in New York for falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.
In Georgia, Trump faces racketeering charges for his attempts to influence the election results, but this case may be put on hold while he is in office.
(This article has been repurposed for WordPress integration. Original content source: NDTV)