A federal appeals court on Tuesday dismissed criminal proceedings against the two co-defendants of President Donald Trump in the Florida classified documents case.
The Atlanta-based 11th Circuit Court of Appeals answered a Department of Justice filing on Jan. 29 requesting to drop its appeal and dismiss all charges against Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos de Oliveira.
Under the Justice Department of the Biden administration, Nauta and de Oliveira were charged with conspiring with Trump to obstruct an FBI investigation into the classified documents that Trump took with him when he left the White House after his first term and had stored at Mar-a-Lago.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon first dismissed the case in July, ruling that the prosecutor who brought it, special counsel Jack Smith, had been illegally appointed by the Justice Department. Smith's team ended its case against Trump after his November election win, citing longstanding department policy that says sitting presidents cannot be indicted. The 11th Circuit granted a request by prosecutors to drop the case against Trump for mishandling classified documents on Nov. 26.
However, the DOJ's appeal against Nauta and de Oliveira remained until Jan. 29, when the DOJ under Trump moved to withdraw Smith's appeal and dismiss the charges against Nauta and de Oliveira.
"The United States of America moves to voluntarily dismiss its appeal with prejudice," prosecutors wrote. "The government has conferred with counsel for Appellees Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, who do not object to the voluntary dismissal."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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