NEW YORK (Dagbladet): It was a unanimous Atlanta appellate court that ruled on Thursday to remove the independent legal entity (journ.anm.) a Trump-appointed judge appointed earlier this fall .
The new decision removes a significant obstacle to the US Department of Justice’s investigation into seizures of confidential documents from the Trump estate, writes ap And Cnn.
– Clearly
The FBI seized a large number of top secret documents during the Mar-a-Lago raid in August this year. These are documents that Trump is suspected of having illegally brought with him when he left the White House in January 2021.
After the search, Trump asked a court to appoint an independent judge to review thousands of seized documents to determine which investigators should have access to. Trump was initially supported by Judge Aileen Cannon in this.
Cannon’s decision was heavily criticized by a wide range of legal experts when it came. Now even the Court of Appeals clearly states that it believes Cannon should never have named a legal entity.
– I like Hitler
– The law is clear. We cannot establish a rule that allows every person being searched to block the investigation by the authorities after the search has been completed. Nor can we create a rule that allows former presidents to do this, the justices write in their ruling, according to CNN.
Two of the three appellate court judges, Britt Grant and Andrew Basher, were appointed by Trump when he was president. The third, William Pryor, was nominated by Republican George W. Bush.
Anger at the investigation
– Extraordinary
The decision is also a clear rebuttal of arguments by Trump’s lawyers who have argued for months that the former president was entitled to an independent legal entity to conduct a review of the seized documents, AP writes.
The new decision means that the investigation and review of the documents can continue as normal. Trump still has the option to appeal the decision to the US Supreme Court.
– It is undoubtedly extraordinary to conduct a search of a former president’s home, but not in a way that affects our forensic analysis, or otherwise gives legal permission to interfere with an ongoing investigation, write the three court judges appellate in their judgment.
Difficult days
The ruling thus removes the restrictions that would have hindered the investigation of special investigator Jack Smith, appointed on November 18 to investigate whether Trump was involved in last year’s assault on Congress, and the management of documents.
Former employee: – Old and tired
Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith to shield the department from accusations of politicizing the investigation after Trump announced he would run for president in 2024.
Thursday’s defeat adds to a string of difficult days for Trump.
Recently, he was in inclement weather to dine with rapper and Hitler supporter Ye (formerly Kanye West) and right-wing extremist Nick Fuentes at home in Mar-a-Lago.
It also became clear Wednesday that a congressional committee, which is investigating Trump, has finally gained access to Trump’s tax records, as they have been trying for several years.
