Jan. 29 (UPI) -- The Justice Department under President Donald Trump moved to drop an appeal by former special counsel Jack Smith in his classified documents case, tying up one of the final loose ends in the case.
Acting U.S. Attorney Hayden O'Bryne moved to dismiss the case against co-defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, which still has to be approved by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Smith had appealed a ruling by Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon last year to dismiss the case against the president. Trump faced 40 criminal counts brought by Smith for mishandling classified documents leaving the White House.
Prosecutors are asking that the case be dismissed with prejudice, meaning that it cannot be relaunched again. Cannon blocked Smith's final report on the case to selected members of Congress because of the appeal in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Smith had appealed Cannon's ruling last year dismissing his case because he was unlawfully appointed.
The move signaled another step in how Trump is reshaping the priorities of the Justice Department. Earlier this week, he fired more than a dozen attorneys involved in criminal investigations involving him.
The terminations included lawyers and other Justice Department officials who were part of former special counsel Jack Smith's teams that were prosecuting Trump in various cases.
"In light of their actions, the acting attorney general does not trust these officials to assist in faithfully implementing thepresident's agenda," the Justice Department said. "This action isconsistent with the mission of ending the weaponization of government."
