


A federal appeals court on Tuesday dismissed indictments against two former co-defendants of President Donald Trump, effectively ending the classified documents case that began nearly two years ago in Florida.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit threw out charges against Trump’s valet, Walt Nauta, and Mar-a-Lago employee Carlos De Oliveira, who were accused of helping Trump conceal classified files. The decision came more than three weeks after the Justice Department requested to drop the case following Trump’s return to office on Jan. 20.

Nauta had faced eight criminal counts, while De Oliveira was charged with four, including obstruction of justice and making false statements. Prosecutors alleged that De Oliveira attempted to delete security footage showing boxes of classified documents being moved at Mar-a-Lago to avoid detection by federal authorities and Trump’s own lawyer.
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The dismissal comes just a day after U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell found that dropping the case against Trump eliminates a key barrier to making records about the investigation public, according to a memorandum opinion published in Washington, D.C., federal court.
Citing the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity, Howell said the decision may have insulated Trump from prosecution but could expose more government records to public scrutiny.
Howell ordered the FBI to search for documents responsive to a Freedom of Information Act request and provide an update by Feb. 20.