Washington, D.C. – In a significant legal victory for Donald Trump, Judge Aileen Cannon has dismissed an indictment accusing the former president of endangering national security by retaining top-secret documents after leaving the White House.
Judge Cannon’s ruling came after Trump’s legal team argued for a partial stay of proceedings to assess a Supreme Court ruling that provides broad immunity from prosecution for a former president.
“Former President Trump’s Motion to Dismiss Indictment Based on the Unlawful Appointment and Funding of Special Counsel Jack Smith is GRANTED,” Judge Cannon wrote in her order. “The Superseding Indictment is DISMISSED because Special Counsel Smith’s appointment violates the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.”
This decision coincides with Trump’s imminent anointment as the Republican Party’s candidate at the upcoming National Convention, just days after he survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
In the Florida case, Trump faced 31 counts of “willful retention of national defense information,” each carrying a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison. He was also charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements.
Trump was accused of keeping classified documents, including records from the Pentagon and CIA, unsecured at his Mar-a-Lago home, and obstructing efforts to retrieve them.
