A federal appeals court has ruled the Justice Department can resume its use of records marked as “classified” in its investigation of former President Trump’s mishandling of government documents.

Washington.- The ruling is a major setback for Trump in his efforts to derail a federal criminal probe into whether he violated the Espionage Act and presidential records laws — and whether he obstructed justice to cover up those crimes.

On Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected key parts of an order by Federal District Judge Aileen Cannon that put the DOJ’s investigation on hold while a special master reviews the documents. Judge Cannon was nominated to the federal bench by Trump.

On Wednesday, Donald Trump gave his first TV interview since the FBI executed a search warrant at his Mar-a-Lago resort in August. Trump told Fox News there doesn’t have to be a process by which presidents declassify secret materials. Donald Trump: “If you’re the president of the United States, you could declassify just by saying it’s declassified, even by thinking about it.” (RHC)