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Gone quiet · last update Sep 24, 2026 / Donald Trump

The federal classified documents case against Trump and its dismissal

Overview · reviewed October 28, 2026

Donald Trump was charged in June 2023 with illegally keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate after leaving office and obstructing efforts to recover them. Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case in July 2024, and after Trump won the 2024 election the special counsel, Jack Smith, dropped his appeal.[1][2][3]

Read the timeline

Follow this story to see new developments when you return.

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · monthly average of weekly shares (UTC)

Jan 2022: average weekly share 6% (left 2%, center 3%, right under 1%), from 1 of 1 weekFeb 2022: average weekly share 12% (left 4%, center 6%, right 2%), from 4 of 4 weeksMar 2022: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksApr 2022: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMay 2022: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJun 2022: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksJul 2022: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksAug 2022: average weekly share 38% (left 12%, center 16%, right 9%), from 5 of 5 weeksSep 2022: average weekly share 27% (left 7%, center 13%, right 7%), from 4 of 4 weeksOct 2022: average weekly share 15% (left 4%, center 8%, right 3%), from 5 of 5 weeksNov 2022: average weekly share 14% (left 5%, center 6%, right 3%), from 4 of 4 weeksDec 2022: average weekly share 7% (left 2%, center 3%, right 2%), from 4 of 4 weeksJan 2023: average weekly share 1% (left under 1%, center under 1%, right under 1%), from 5 of 5 weeksFeb 2023: average weekly share 3% (left 1%, center 2%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksMar 2023: average weekly share 3% (left 1%, center 1%, right under 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksApr 2023: average weekly share 1% (left 0%, center under 1%, right under 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksMay 2023: average weekly share 4% (left 1%, center 1%, right 1%), from 5 of 5 weeksJun 2023: average weekly share 34% (left 11%, center 14%, right 8%), from 4 of 4 weeksJul 2023: average weekly share 24% (left 8%, center 11%, right 5%), from 5 of 5 weeksAug 2023: average weekly share 7% (left 3%, center 2%, right 2%), from 4 of 4 weeksSep 2023: average weekly share under 1% (left under 1%, center 0%, right under 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksOct 2023: average weekly share 5% (left 1%, center 2%, right 1%), from 5 of 5 weeksNov 2023: average weekly share 1% (left under 1%, center 1%, right under 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksDec 2023: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksJan 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksFeb 2024: average weekly share 9% (left 3%, center 4%, right 2%), from 4 of 4 weeksMar 2024: average weekly share 7% (left 2%, center 3%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksApr 2024: average weekly share 5% (left 2%, center 2%, right 1%), from 5 of 5 weeksMay 2024: average weekly share 12% (left 4%, center 5%, right 3%), from 4 of 4 weeksJun 2024: average weekly share 5% (left 2%, center 2%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksJul 2024: average weekly share 5% (left 2%, center 2%, right 1%), from 5 of 5 weeksAug 2024: average weekly share 6% (left 2%, center 2%, right 2%), from 4 of 4 weeksSep 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksOct 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksNov 2024: average weekly share 2% (left under 1%, center under 1%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksDec 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJan 2025: average weekly share 1% (left under 1%, center 1%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksFeb 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMar 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksApr 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMay 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksJun 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJul 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksAug 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksSep 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksOct 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksNov 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksDec 2025: average weekly share 1% (left 0%, center 0%, right 1%), from 5 of 5 weeksJan 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksFeb 2026: average weekly share 1% (left 0%, center 1%, right under 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksMar 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksApr 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMay 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksJun 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJul 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksAug 2026: average weekly share under 1% (left under 1%, center under 1%, right under 1%), from 5 of 5 weeksSep 2026: average weekly share 1% (left under 1%, center 1%, right under 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksOct 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksNov 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 2 of 2 weeks, so far

LeftCenterRight

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. Over more than two years each bar is a month: the average of that month's weekly shares, so the shape stays readable. The weekly table below keeps every week. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 12 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (69 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Sep 21, 2026211114 of 4793%
Aug 17, 20263317 of 4642%
Feb 23, 202608311 of 1866%
Dec 15, 20250066 of 1873%
Jan 27, 20253609 of 2234%
Nov 11, 202424814 of 2117%
Aug 26, 2024812929 of 20414%
Aug 12, 202457921 of 21710%
Jul 15, 202418181147 of 22021%
Jul 1, 202426311 of 2135%
Jun 24, 2024912425 of 25010%
Jun 17, 20243115 of 2222%
Jun 10, 202446616 of 2476%
May 27, 20241010929 of 24712%
May 20, 202412191041 of 22618%
May 6, 202414161242 of 23618%
Apr 8, 202489623 of 2649%
Apr 1, 202415171143 of 26416%
Mar 25, 20242338 of 2453%
Mar 11, 20242226957 of 24323%
Feb 26, 2024917834 of 25613%
Feb 19, 20241111527 of 23212%
Feb 12, 2024816630 of 24212%
Nov 6, 202327211 of 2375%
Oct 30, 202359721 of 2339%
Oct 2, 20231215633 of 24314%
Sep 4, 20232035 of 2532%
Aug 21, 202396621 of 2439%
Aug 14, 202376417 of 2467%
Aug 7, 2023911828 of 25911%
Jul 31, 20231830755 of 25422%
Jul 24, 202335401489 of 26234%
Jul 17, 202321312072 of 26727%
Jul 10, 202316161244 of 24318%
Jul 3, 202317221049 of 24520%
Jun 26, 2023815225 of 2799%
Jun 19, 202316221553 of 26320%
Jun 12, 2023445122117 of 25047%
Jun 5, 2023516342156 of 26559%
May 29, 20232316 of 2582%
May 22, 202312141036 of 26913%
May 15, 20235229 of 2444%
Apr 3, 20230336 of 2602%
Mar 27, 20232103 of 2781%
Mar 20, 20231010323 of 23310%
Feb 6, 2023512522 of 18512%
Jan 16, 20231135 of 1883%
Dec 12, 20222619 of 1875%
Dec 5, 202211181241 of 19022%
Nov 28, 2022617629 of 18815%
Nov 21, 20225106 of 1664%
Nov 14, 202223261968 of 18637%
Oct 31, 202237111 of 1816%
Oct 24, 20220404 of 1812%
Oct 17, 202259115 of 1778%
Oct 10, 202215291761 of 18633%
Oct 3, 202214221147 of 19125%
Sep 26, 20220505 of 1873%
Sep 19, 202214292063 of 18434%
Sep 12, 202215331361 of 18832%
Sep 5, 202223341774 of 19239%
Aug 29, 202222321569 of 19336%
Aug 22, 202231422699 of 20050%
Aug 15, 202222281464 of 18335%
Aug 8, 2022445733134 of 19469%
Feb 21, 202256314 of 2007%
Feb 14, 20221022638 of 19519%
Feb 7, 20221718843 of 19422%
Jan 31, 202247112 of 2026%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Sep 24, 2026 · first reported · Headline from KRDO

    Judge Aileen Cannon’s gag order puts recently subpoenaed Mar-a-Lago agents in a bind

Background

In February 2022 the National Archives said Trump had taken classified material to Mar-a-Lago.[4] On August 8 the FBI searched the estate,[5] and it seized documents marked top secret.[6] A version of the affidavit for the search warrant was released,[7][8] and Cannon granted Trump's request for a special master to review the seized materials,[9] until an appeals court ended the review in December.[10] In November Attorney General Merrick Garland named Smith as special counsel.[11]

A Florida Trump in June 2023, accusing him of storing, showing off and refusing to return classified documents,[1] and he pleaded not guilty in Miami.[12] His aide Walt Nauta was charged with him,[13] and in July prosecutors added charges, accusing Trump of asking a staffer to delete security camera footage.[14][15] Cannon rejected Trump's requests to dismiss the case,[16][17] but she postponed the May 2024 trial indefinitely.[18]

In July 2024 Cannon dismissed the case, and Smith appealed.[2][19] After Trump's election, Smith asked the appeals court to pause his appeal and then dropped it.[3] In January 2025 the Justice Department dropped the case against Trump's former co-defendants,[20] and in February 2026 the FBI fired agents who had worked on the investigation.[21]

Supporting stories (21)
  1. Trump indictment unsealed: Former president stored, showed off and refused to return classified documents, charges say
  2. After judge tosses Trump's classified docs case, special counsel authorized to appeal
  3. Special counsel Smith asks court to pause appeal seeking to revive Trump's classified documents case
  4. National Archives: Trump took classified items to Mar-a-Lago
  5. Trump says FBI conducting search of Mar-a-Lago estate
  6. Trump search: FBI seized 'top secret' documents from Mar-a-Lago
  7. Judge orders unsealing of redacted affidavit in Trump search
  8. Top takeaways from the unsealed Mar-a-Lago search affidavit
  9. Judge grants Trump's request for a 'special master' to review materials seized from Mar-a-Lago
  10. US appeals court ends Mar-a-Lago document review
  11. Garland names special counsel to lead Trump-related probes
  12. Donald Trump pleads not guilty to federal crimes involving classified documents
  13. Walt Nauta, aide to Donald Trump, pleads not guilty in classified documents case
  14. Trump accused of asking staffer to delete camera footage in Florida classified documents case
  15. Donald Trump faces new charges in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case. Here’s what to know
  16. Judge denies Trump's request to dismiss classified documents case
  17. Judge rejects Trump request to dismiss classified documents prosecution
  18. Judge in Trump's classified documents case postpones May trial; no new date set
  19. Special counsel Jack Smith urges appeals court to reinstate classified docs case against Trump
  20. Justice Department drops case against Trump’s former co-defendants in classified documents investigation
  21. FBI fires agents who worked on Trump classified document investigation, AP sources say

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 195 recorded updates

September 2026

  1. Agents involved in Mar-a-Lago search ask Judge Aileen Cannon whether gag order blocks testimonyHeadline from KESQ Palm Springs · 8 outlets
  2. FBI employees in Trump Mar-a-Lago case seek clarity on subpoenas in Florida ‘grand conspiracy’ probeHeadline from Bangor Daily News · 6 outlets

August 2026

  1. Investigators examining foes of Trump seek interviews related to Mar-a-Lago search, AP sources sayHeadline from KAAL Rochester · 7 outlets

February 2026

  1. FBI fires agents who worked on Trump classified document investigation, AP sources sayHeadline from Washington Examiner · 11 outlets

December 2025

  1. FBI did not believe it had probable cause to raid Mar-a-Lago for classified documents, bombshell files showHeadline from New York Post · 6 outlets

January 2025

  1. Justice Department drops case against Trump’s former co-defendants in classified documents investigationHeadline from CNN · 9 outlets

November 2024

  1. Special counsel Smith asks court to pause appeal seeking to revive Trump's classified documents caseHeadline from Bangor Daily News · 15 outlets

August 2024

  1. Special counsel Jack Smith urges appeals court to reinstate classified docs case against TrumpHeadline from New York Post · 28 outlets
  2. Donald Trump set to sue DOJ for $100M over Mar-a-Lago documents raid: ‘Political persecution’Headline from New York Post · 22 outlets

July 2024

  1. After judge tosses Trump's classified docs case, special counsel authorized to appealHeadline from ABC 30 Fresno · 53 outlets
  2. Judge declines to throw out charges against Trump valet in classified documents case - The Daily ReporterHeadline from Green Field Reporter · 11 outlets

June 2024

  1. Judge orders hearing to consider tossing key evidence in Trump classified docs caseHeadline from ABC 30 Fresno · 12 outlets
  2. Trump lawyers in classified documents case will ask the judge to suppress evidence from prosecutorsHeadline from Winchester Star · 14 outlets
  3. Judge Aileen Cannon presses special counsel in Trump’s classified documents caseHeadline from CNN · 10 outlets
  4. Judge Aileen Cannon denies effort by Trump and co-defendants to dismiss some charges in classified documents caseHeadline from CNN · 5 outlets
  5. Judge denies bid to dismiss certain counts in Trump classified documents indictmentHeadline from Bangor Daily News · 12 outlets

May 2024

  1. Judge denies request to restrict Trump statements about law enforcement in classified records caseHeadline from The Republic · 11 outlets
  2. Judge Cannon rejects request for gag order against Donald Trump in classified docs caseHeadline from KTVZ Bend · 18 outlets
  3. Judge in Trump classified documents case to hear more arguments on dismissing chargesHeadline from The Boston Globe · 18 outlets
  4. Prosecutors seek to bar Trump in classified files case from statements endangering law enforcementHeadline from NBC New York · 22 outlets
  5. FBI was authorized to use ‘deadly force’ in classified docs search at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, court filings revealHeadline from New York Post · 9 outlets
  6. Trump seeks delay in classified documents case, saying prosecutors mishandled evidenceHeadline from KTVZ Bend · 6 outlets
  7. Judge in Trump's classified documents case postpones May trial; no new date setHeadline from Los Angeles Times · 46 outlets

April 2024

  1. Trump's co-defendants in classified documents case are asking judge to dismiss charges against themHeadline from Daily Journal · 6 outlets
  2. Judge in Trump's classified files case agrees to redact witness names, granting prosecution requestHeadline from Minneapolis Star Tribune · 21 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →