A United States judge has dismissed the case against former President Donald Trump over his handling of classified documents.
Judge Aileen Cannon stated that the way that Special Counsel Jack Smith was appointed was improper.
Recall that Trump had faced charges stemming from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into his possession of classified materials at his Mar-a-Lago residence.
The former President pleaded not guilty to all 37 felony counts from Smith’s probe, including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements.
“Former President Trump’s Motion to Dismiss Indictment Based on the Unlawful Appointment and Funding of Special Counsel Jack Smith is GRANTED in accordance with this Order,” US District Judge Aileen Cannon wrote in a Monday ruling
“The Superseding Indictment is DISMISSED because Special Counsel Smith’s appointment violates the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.”
Trump told Fox News after the ruling that he was “thrilled that a judge had the courage and wisdom to do this”.
“This has big, big implications, not just for this case but for other cases. The special counsel worked with everyone to try to take me down,” Trump added from Milwaukee, the site of this week’s Republican National Convention.
“This is a big, big deal. It only makes this convention more positive. This will be an amazing week.”