Trump moves to dismiss charges accusing him of mishandling classified documents

23/2/2024 12:16

        Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday asked a federal judge to dismiss criminal charges accusing him of illegally holding onto sensitive U.S. national security documents when he left office, arguing the prosecution is legally flawed.
        
        Lawyers for Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, challenged the appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith, argued the charges conflict with another U.S. law on the use of presidential records, and claimed the central charge in the case is improperly vague.
        
        Trump also claimed he was immune from charges he unlawfully retained national security documents because the allegations stem from decisions he made in his final weeks as president.
        
        Trump has pleaded not guilty to a 40-count indictment in Florida federal court accusing him of illegally retaining classified documents at his Florida resort after leaving office in 2021 and obstructing U.S. government attempts to retrieve them.
        
        Prosecutors working with Smith accused Trump of keeping documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida that included information about the U.S. nuclear program and potential domestic vulnerabilities.