Court dismisses appeal of Trump’s classified documents case

Court dismisses appeal of Trump’s classified documents case
Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — Two weeks after the Department of Justice, now under new leadership following Donald Trump’s reelection, moved to dismiss their appeal of Trump’s classified documents case, a circuit court formally dismissed the appeal of a case that once accused the president of mishandling some of the nation’s most sensitive secrets.

The dismissal marks the end of a series of federal criminal cases that once dogged Trump’s political future.

“Appellant’s ‘Unopposed Motion to Dismiss Appeal’ is GRANTED. This appeal is DISMISSED,” said the one-page order issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

Recently appointed Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Hayden O’Bryne moved to dismiss the appeal against Trump’s former co-defendants on Jan. 29.

Trump previously faced 40 criminal counts — including violations of nine separate federal laws — for allegedly holding on to classified documents after leaving the White House in 2021 and thwarting investigators’ efforts to retrieve the documents from his Mar-a-Lago estate. He pleaded not guilty to all charges in 2023.

Trump, along with longtime aide Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago staffer Carlos De Oliveira, pleaded not guilty in a superseding indictment to allegedly attempting to delete surveillance footage at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

Last summer, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon — who Trump appointed to the bench during his first term — dismissed the indictments against Trump, bucking decades of legal precedent by finding that special counsel Jack Smith had been unconstitutionally appointed.

Smith appealed Cannon’s decision but was ultimately forced to drop the appeal against Trump after Trump was reelected in November, due to a longstanding Department of Justice policy prohibiting the prosecution of a sitting president.

After O’Bryne moved to dismiss the appeal against Nauta and De Oliveira last month, Tuesday’s dismissal closes the book on the case.

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‘Violent rampage’: 1 pedestrian killed, several hurt in hit-and-run spree in Florida
‘Violent rampage’: 1 pedestrian killed, several hurt in hit-and-run spree in Florida
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(TAMPA, Fla.) — One pedestrian was killed and several pedestrians and officers were hurt by a driver who allegedly drove into people in multiple intentional hit-and-runs in Tampa, Florida, Sunday night, police said.

“Tonight was a tragic night involving an extremely dangerous suspect” who was fatally shot by police, ending the “violent rampage,” Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said at a news conference.

The incidents began just before 8:30 p.m. when officers responded to a report of a driver blocking someone’s car at a Dollar General, Bercaw said.

The two drivers argued and eventually the victim left, the chief said. Then, the victim noticed the suspect was following him to his house, and the two drivers threw items at each other, Bercaw said.

The suspect then “reversed out, hitting the victim with the car twice,” the chief said. “While this was happening, a friend of the victim was firing at the suspect in an attempt to stop this violent act.”

That first victim was listed in stable condition, the chief said.

At 8:33 p.m., the suspect drove his white Honda in circles and then struck and killed a man in an apparently intentional act, police said.

The suspect fled and then struck another pedestrian, who survived, police said.

At 8:39 p.m., the suspect was seen driving toward pedestrians on a sidewalk, police said. The driver struck another man who was hospitalized with serious head injuries but is expected to be OK, Bercaw said.

At 10:16 p.m., another call came in reporting that the driver intentionally veered into people, striking another person, Bercaw said.

Police chased the suspect and eventually stopped his car, Bercaw said.

“The suspect was getting out of the car, reaching for what [officers] believed was a weapon, and then shots were fired,” Bercaw said. “The suspect did not survive.”

Three officers were injured in that incident; none of their injuries are life-threatening, Bercaw said.

The 47-year-old suspect, whose name was not released, had an “extensive violent criminal history” and was released from prison about two years ago, the chief said.

“This was a violent night,” the chief said.

“Our thoughts are with the family of the man who was killed,” he added.

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Suspect apprehended after deadly shooting at manufacturing facility in Ohio
Suspect apprehended after deadly shooting at manufacturing facility in Ohio
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(NEW ALBANY, Ohio) — A man suspected of killing one person and injuring five others in a shooting at an Ohio manufacturing facility has been apprehended following an overnight manhunt, police said Wednesday.

New Albany police said they responded to an active shooter report at a New Albany facility run by KDC/One, a beauty products manufacturer, around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.

One victim was found dead inside the building and five others were hospitalized in unknown conditions, police said.

About 150 employees were safely evacuated, police said.

The suspect, Bruce Reginald Foster III, was taken into custody Wednesday morning at a home in Columbus, police said.

“This is a heartbreaking and tragic situation,” New Albany Police Chief Greg Jones said in a statement. “We train for situations like this, and while it is something no community ever wants to face, we were prepared to act quickly and effectively. We will continue working to bring this situation to a full resolution.”
 

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New Orleans Saints, NFL announce M donation to Bourbon Street victims
New Orleans Saints, NFL announce $1M donation to Bourbon Street victims
Chris Graythen/Getty Images

(NEW ORLEANS) — The New Orleans Saints and the NFL announced Saturday that they will donate $1 million to the victims of the New Year’s Day truck ramming attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 people and injured dozens of others.

“Our community has experienced an unimaginable tragedy and our collective hearts are broken as we mourn for the victims and survivors on the New Year’s Day terror attack in New Orleans,” Saints owner Gayle Benson said in a statement.

The team will be working with the Greater New Orleans Foundation (GNOF) and United Way to help distribute $500,000 to organizations that are providing support to the victims and their families.

The NFL Foundation, the league’s philanthropic arm, said it would match the team’s donation.

“The NFL is committed to standing with the resilient community of New Orleans during this difficult time,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.

As of Saturday, 13 of the 14 victims have been publicly identified. Their ages range from 18 to 63, according to officials.

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