The former president had already pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
July 15
2024
– 11:43 AM
(Updated at 11:52 AM)
Judge Ellen Cannon, on Monday, the 15th of this month, concluded the criminal case against the former president. Donald Trump He was accused of illegally storing classified White House documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence.
In the ruling, Cannon ruled that the appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith to conduct the investigation was unconstitutional. “The superseding indictment is dismissed because the appointment of Special Counsel Smith violates the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution,” he wrote.
According to the judge, the appointment is unconstitutional because it “effectively usurps” Congress's authority.
Last year, the businessman pleaded not guilty to 37 criminal charges stemming from the discovery of numerous classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence.
Investigators accused Trump of taking about 300 classified documents to his home, and at least 100 of them were recovered by the FBI during a search and seizure operation.
“After careful consideration of the fundamental challenges raised in this motion, the Court is convinced that Special Counsel Smith’s conduct of this action violates two structural pillars of our constitutional scheme: Congress’s role in appointing constitutional officers and Congress’s role in expending authorizations under the law,” Cannon added.
However, according to the judge, her ruling does not apply to other jurisdictions, meaning it may not apply to the special counsel's election interference case against Trump filed on January 6.
The 76-year-old Republican, who is running for re-election and was the target of an attack during a campaign rally last weekend, is the first former president in the country to face federal charges.
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