A federal appeals court has officially dismissed the charges against Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, two aides to President Donald Trump, in the classified documents case spearheaded by former Special Counsel Jack Smith, Fox News Digital reports.
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals issued its ruling on Tuesday morning, just two weeks after the Justice Department moved to drop the charges. Nauta, who served as Trump’s valet, and De Oliveira, the property manager at Mar-a-Lago, had previously pleaded not guilty to accusations that they conspired to obstruct an FBI investigation into classified documents found at Trump’s Florida estate.
Former Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith, a former Justice Department official, as special counsel in November 2022.
Smith, a former assistant U.S. attorney and chief to the DOJ’s public integrity section, led the investigation into Trump’s retention of classified documents after leaving the White House and whether the former president obstructed the federal government’s investigation into the matter.
Smith also was tasked with overseeing the investigation into whether Trump or other officials and entities interfered with the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021.
Smith charged Trump in both cases, but Trump pleaded not guilty.
In January, the Justice Department filed a motion to dismiss all criminal proceedings against the two men, effectively bringing an end to Smith’s investigation—an inquiry that had dragged on for more than two years.
The case itself had already been dealt a major blow in July 2024 when U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed it altogether. She ruled that Jack Smith’s appointment as special counsel was unlawful, rendering the case against Trump and his associates legally void.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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Victory