The prosecution against former President Donald Trump under the Espionage Act, known as the “classified documents case” regarding documents Trump moved to Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House, was dismissed today by Federal Judge Aileen Cannon. The judge found that the appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith to prosecute the case was unconstitutional, having been done by the Attorney General rather than the Congress, as called for by the Special Counsel statute. The prosecution had been done under the 1917 Espionage Act, almost never used in its 107 years of existence except for prosecution of political opponents.
On social media, Trump said today’s dismissal “should be just the first step,” and that the rest of the criminal and civil cases against him also should be tossed out of court. “Let us come together to END all Weaponization of our Justice System,” he wrote.
