A US judge dismissed one of Donald Trump’s criminal cases on Monday, granting a significant legal victory to the Republican presidential candidate just hours before he was set to announce his vice presidential running mate.
The ruling by Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, came two days after Trump survived an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally. Cannon ruled that the prosecutor who charged Trump with mishandling classified documents was unlawfully appointed.
Read more: Following The Assassination Attempt, Trump And Biden Call For Calm And Unity
Trump was expected to announce his vice presidential pick at the 2024 Republican convention in Milwaukee, with the candidate nomination scheduled for 4:30 pm ET (20:30 GMT). Possible contenders include Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, all of whom are speaking at the convention.
Trump will formally accept the party’s nomination on Thursday to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the November 5 election. Opinion polls indicate a close race between Trump, 78, and Biden, 81. Trump continues to claim his 2020 loss was due to widespread fraud and has not committed to accepting the election results if he loses.
In light of the assassination attempt, Trump plans to revise his acceptance speech to focus on national unity. “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.
Following the judge’s decision, Trump called for the dismissal of his other prosecutions. He faces trials in Washington and Georgia for attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat. A recent Supreme Court ruling granting him immunity for many presidential actions could impact these cases.
Trump is also scheduled for sentencing in New York in September for covering up a hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
“The dismissal of the Lawless Indictment in Florida should be the first step, followed by the dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts,” Trump posted on Truth Social, referencing the prosecutions of his supporters involved in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
