The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday moved to toss out charges against former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.), who resigned from Congress in 2022.
The request to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning the same charges can’t be brought again, comes as President Trump’s Justice Department has moved to end criminal prosecutions of his political allies, including those who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack and Trump’s co-defendants in his federal classified documents case.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump celebrated the end of the DOJ’s “witch hunt” against Fortenberry and claimed he was the victim of a weaponized justice system.
“The charges were totally baseless,” Trump said. “That Scam is now over, so Jeff and his family can go back to having a great life together, and be a part of our Country’s future as we MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. I am very proud of our Department of Justice, something I have not been able to say for many years!”
A jury in Los Angeles previously convicted him in 2022 following a federal investigation, but a federal appeals court overturned the case in late 2023. (RELATED: Appeals Court Overturns Ex-Congressman’s Conviction For Lying To FBI)
The charges centered on statements Fortenberry gave to authorities as they investigated the $30,200 donation to the former congressman’s campaign at a 2016 fundraising event in California from Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian businessperson.
Federal election law prohibits foreign nationals from making contributions in support of any candidate for a federal elected office in the U.S.
That conviction was overturned by a federal appeals court in 2023, after it determined Fortenberry should have faced trial in Nebraska or Washington, D.C., instead.
Federal prosecutors brought the case again in Washington in May, and Fortenberry was awaiting a new trial when Trump won the presidential race.
