Justice Department Drops Case Against Trump's Former Co-Defendants in Classified Documents Investigation

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The Justice Department has decided to drop the case against two of former President Donald Trump's co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, in the classified documents investigation. This decision effectively ends any legal peril the pair could have faced. Nauta and De Oliveira were charged with conspiring with Trump to obstruct an FBI investigation into the mishandling of classified documents that Trump took with him when he left the White House after his first term.

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The case was initially dismissed by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in July, who ruled that the prosecutor, special counsel Jack Smith, had been illegally appointed by the Justice Department. Smith's team had ended its case against Trump after his November election win, citing a longstanding department policy that sitting presidents cannot be indicted.

The Justice Department's decision to withdraw the appeal against Nauta and De Oliveira was made with the consent of their counsel, who did not object to the voluntary dismissal. This move was formalized when prosecutors informed the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that they were dropping the appeal.

The Justice Department had previously committed to not making public Smith's report on the classified documents investigation as long as proceedings remained ongoing against Nauta and De Oliveira. With the dismissal of the case, it is widely expected that the report will remain permanently under wraps.

This development marks the end of a significant legal battle that had been ongoing for several months, involving high-profile figures and complex legal issues related to the handling of classified information and presidential powers.