The Justice Department announced on Wednesday that it has decided to abandon all criminal proceedings against the two co-defendants of former President Donald Trump in the Florida classified documents case. This move effectively eliminates any legal jeopardy that the pair could have faced.
Trump's valet, Walt Nauta, and Mar-a-Lago property manager, Carlos De Oliveira, were initially charged with allegedly conspiring with Trump to obstruct an FBI investigation into the hoarding of classified documents that Trump took with him when he departed the White House after his first term.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case back in July, citing the illegal appointment of special counsel Jack Smith by the Justice Department. Smith's team had also dropped the case against Trump following his election win in November, adhering to the department's policy that sitting presidents cannot be indicted.
The appeal of the dismissal of charges against Nauta and De Oliveira had been pending until Wednesday when prosecutors informed the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that they were withdrawing the appeal, officially bringing the case to a close.
In a statement, prosecutors wrote, 'The United States of America moves to voluntarily dismiss its appeal with prejudice. The government has conferred with counsel for Appellees Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, who do not object to the voluntary dismissal.'
Previously, the Justice Department had committed to keeping Smith's report on the classified documents investigation confidential as long as legal proceedings were ongoing against Nauta and De Oliveira. However, with the appeal now dismissed, Senate Democrats on the Judiciary Committee have requested acting Attorney General James McHenry to release the report to them for evaluation as they prepare to consider the nomination of Kash Patel as FBI director.
Patel had testified before the grand jury during the investigation in 2022 after being granted immunity. It is anticipated that Trump's Justice Department will maintain the report's confidentiality indefinitely.
