Documents affair Judge discontinues proceedings against Donald Trump

The judge in charge has dropped the case against former US President Donald Trump regarding the affair surrounding the taking of secret government documents. Will the special prosecutor appeal?

In the affair surrounding the taking of secret government documents, the judge responsible has dropped the criminal proceedings against former US President Donald Trump. Judge Aileen Cannon in Miami, Florida, announced the decision, citing doubts about the lawful appointment of the special prosecutor in the case. Special investigator Jack Smith can appeal against the decision.

Trump was indicted at federal level in the document affair last year. In this case, he is accused of unlawfully storing highly sensitive information from his time as president (2017 to 2021).

This should be "just the first step", quickly followed by the dismissal of all proceedings, the Republican wrote on his online platform Truth Social. The 78-year-old once again described these as "witch hunts". The Justice Department was coordinating all these "political attacks" to conspire against him, Joe Biden's opponent, the Republican presidential candidate wrote.

House search at Trump's home two years ago

In August 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) searched Trump's Florida mansion and confiscated several sets of classified documents. Trump is also accused of conspiring to obstruct the investigation: For example, he is alleged to have tried to use associates to make footage from surveillance cameras disappear and to have boxes of documents taken away.

Trump pleaded not guilty when the charges were presented in Miami last year. His lawyers tried to stop the proceedings with various motions.

The judge in charge of the document proceedings, Cannon, was once appointed by Trump. In recent months, critics have accused her of dragging out the proceedings and processing applications in slow motion.

Legal back and forth

A few weeks ago, Trump was successful in another case before the Supreme Court. The US Supreme Court ruled that Trump enjoys extensive protection from prosecution for actions in the office of president. This decision is not directly related to the dismissal of the case in Miami - but possibly indirectly.

Justice Clarence Thomas had written in an opinion on the immunity ruling that special prosecutor Smith was not legally appointed and therefore had no authority to indict Trump. No immediate legal consequences emerged from Thomas' text in the judgment.

In the indictment against Trump in Florida, however, Trump's team had already put forward precisely this argument, which is rejected by many experts. Supreme Court Judge Thomas' statement is therefore considered highly unusual and was seen by many as a sign in the direction of Florida.