US judge dismisses Donald Trump's classified documents case

Decision comes two days after the former president survived an assassination attempt at Pennsylvania campaign rally

MILWAUKEE:

A US judge dismissed one of Donald Trump's criminal cases on Monday, handing the Republican presidential candidate a major legal victory just hours before he was due to reveal his vice presidential running mate.

The decision by a Trump-appointed judge comes two days after the former president survived an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania campaign rally by a gunman whose motive remains unknown. US District Court Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that the prosecutor who charged Trump with mishandling classified documents was unlawfully appointed to his role.

Meanwhile, Trump was expected to formally announce his vice presidential pick at the 2024 Republican convention in Milwaukee, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity. Republicans will nominate the candidate at approximately 4:30 pm ET (20:30 GMT), though Trump could reveal his pick before then.

Leading contenders include Ohio U.S. Senator J.D. Vance, Florida US Senator Marco Rubio and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, all of whom are slated to speak at the convention this week.

Trump is due to formally accept the party's nomination on Thursday to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the November 5 election.

Trump, 78, and Biden, 81, are locked in what opinion polls show to be a tight election rematch. Trump continues to falsely claim that his 2020 loss to Biden was the result of widespread fraud and has not committed to accepting the results of the election were he to lose.

In the wake of the assassination attempt, Trump said he is revising his acceptance speech to emphasize national unity, rather than highlight his differences with Biden.

"This is a chance to bring the whole country, even the whole world, together. The speech will be a lot different, a lot different than it would've been two days ago," Trump told the Washington Examiner.

Trump said that following the judge's decision on Monday dismissing the documents case, his other outstanding prosecutions should also be thrown out. He is still awaiting trial on two cases -- a federal prosecution in Washington and a Georgia state prosecution -- for his attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat.

The July 1 Supreme Court ruling that he has immunity for many actions he took as president could hamstring both those cases.

Trump is also due to be sentenced in New York in September for trying to cover up a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in the weeks before his 2016 election victory.

"This dismissal of the Lawless Indictment in Florida should be just the first step, followed quickly by the dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts," Trump said on his Truth Social site on Monday, also referencing the prosecutions of hundreds of his supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.