A federal appeals court has dismissed the charges against two of former President Donald Trump's aides, Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, in the classified documents case. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals made the decision following the Justice Department's motion to drop the prosecution two weeks prior.

Nauta, who served as Trump's valet, and De Oliveira, the property manager at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, had previously pleaded not guilty to accusations of conspiring to obstruct the FBI's investigation into classified documents discovered at the Florida estate.

This dismissal effectively ends the probe initiated by former Special Counsel Jack Smith, which began over two years ago. Smith was appointed in November 2022 by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Trump's handling of classified materials after leaving office and any potential obstruction of justice.

Smith's investigation extended beyond the classified documents to encompass alleged interference with the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 election, including the events of January 6, 2021. Trump was charged in both cases but maintained his innocence.

The classified records case was dismissed in July 2024 by Judge Aileen Cannon of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, who cited the unlawful appointment of Smith as special counsel. Similarly, the 2020 election case, filed in the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., was dismissed after Trump's re-election and Smith's subsequent request for dismissal, which was granted by Judge Tanya Chutkan.

Following these dismissals, the Justice Department terminated over a dozen officials from Smith's team, citing concerns about their commitment to the then-acting Attorney General James McHenry's agenda. Furthermore, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove ordered an internal review of FBI agents involved in January 6 prosecutions.