Justice Department Drops Classified Documents Case Against Trump's Co-Defendants
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The Justice Department has decided to drop all criminal proceedings against Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, the co-defendants of former President Donald Trump in the Florida classified documents case. This decision marks the formal end of the case, which involved charges of conspiring with Trump to obstruct an FBI investigation into the mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
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The case was initially led by Special Counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed to investigate both Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and his retention of classified documents after leaving office. However, following Trump's re-election in November 2024, the Justice Department halted the investigation into Trump, adhering to the longstanding policy that sitting presidents cannot be indicted.The dismissal of the case against Nauta and De Oliveira was officially requested by the acting U.S. Attorney in Miami, Hayden O’Byrne, without providing a specific explanation. This move was made with the consent of the attorneys for Nauta and De Oliveira, who did not object to the voluntary dismissal. The decision to drop the case also means that the Justice Department will not make public Smith's report on the classified documents investigation, which had been promised to remain under wraps as long as proceedings against Nauta and De Oliveira were ongoing.