By canceling the appointment of an independent expert to review the documents seized from the former US president, the Atlanta federal appeals court allows special prosecutor Jack Smith to conduct his investigation.
A US appeals court inflicted yet another defeat on Donald Trump on Thursday (December 1st) by overturning a previous court ruling that appointed an independent expert to review documents seized from his Florida home by federal police (FBI) . Federal Court of Appeals judges in Atlanta unanimously overturned a Florida judge’s order to appoint the expert, which temporarily barred federal investigators from using the documents in their investigation criminal.
On August 8, the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump’s residence in Florida, seizing boxes containing thousands of confidential documents, some of which were classified as defense secrets, which the Republican had not returned after leaving the White House, despite multiple requests.
Federal investigators suspect the Republican of having thus violated an American law on espionage which very strictly regulates the possession of confidential documents. Donald Trump assured that these documents had been declassified.
The appeals court ruled Thursday that the August 8 search and seizure was not illegal and that the Florida judge had no authority to limit the Justice Department’s review of those documents, which leads the investigation. His decision frees up special prosecutor Jack Smith, appointed in November by Justice Secretary Merrick Garland, to investigate Donald Trump in the case as well as his role in the events leading up to the storming of the Capitol by his supporters. , January 6, 2021.
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