Donald Trump’s legal situation seems to be improving in the lead-up to the U.S. presidential election.
Just days after pundits said the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania could hand the former president the election, a judge threw out the legal case accusing Trump of taking classified documents from the White House after leaving office and storing them at his Mar-a-Lago home.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon said on Monday, July 15th, that the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith—the lawyer prosecuting Trump—was unconstitutional.
In a 93-page ruling, Cannon, who was appointed by Trump, wrote that Smith’s appointment was improper because it was not based on a specific federal statute, nor had Smith been named to the post by the president or confirmed by the Senate.
Mr. Smith is a private citizen exercising the full power of a United States Attorney, and with very little oversight or supervision.
When scrutinised, this spotty historical backdrop does not amply confirm the Attorney General’s authority to appoint the Special Counsel here.
Alex Leary of The Wall Street Journal described the ruling as “another win for Trump”—and a fairly significant one at that, given that this case against the former president was considered to be particularly strong.
The run of good fortune continues a pattern for the former president as he claims the GOP’s nomination this week in Milwaukee and faces a politically damaged President Biden, still reeling from his abysmal debate performance.
Responding to the news, Trump said he hoped the throwing out of this case would be followed “quickly by the dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts.”
Let us come together to END all Weaponisation of our Justice System, and Make America Great Again!
Trump had pleaded not guilty after he was charged last year with violating the Espionage Act over his retention of classified documents and obstructing the U.S. Justice Department’s attempts to retrieve them.
Cannon’s decision to throw the case out has been described in the media as “stunning” and “highly unexpected.”
Peter Carr, spokesman for the special counsel’s office, said on Monday evening that the Justice Department has approved plans to appeal.
