WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Wednesday abandoned all criminal proceedings against the two co-defendants of President Donald Trump in the Florida classified documents case, wiping out any legal peril the men could have faced.

Trump valet Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira were charged with conspiring with Trump to obstruct an FBI investigation into the hoarding of classified documents that the Republican took with him when he left the White House after his first term.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case in July, saying that the prosecutor who brought it, special counsel Jack Smith, had been illegally appointed by the Justice Department. Smith’s team ended its case against Trump after his November election win, citing longstanding department policy that says sitting presidents cannot be indicted.

But an appeal of the dismissal of charges against Nauta and De Oliveira remained pending until Wednesday. That’s when federal prosecutors informed the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that they had withdrawn the appeal, formally ending the case.

“The United States of America moves to voluntarily dismiss its appeal with prejudice,” prosecutors wrote. “The government has conferred with counsel for Appellees Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, who do not object to the voluntary dismissal.”

The Justice Department had previously committed to not make public Smith’s report on the classified documents investigation as long as proceedings remained ongoing against Nauta and De Oliveira. But with the appeal now dismissed, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee asked acting Attorney General James McHenry to make the report available to them, saying they needed access to evaluate the document as they prepare to take up the nomination of Kash Patel to be FBI director.

Patel testified before the grand jury in that investigation in 2022 after being granted immunity.

Trump’s Justice Department is widely expected to keep the report permanently under wraps.

Hawaii fire deal: Lawyers representing victims of a deadly Hawaii wildfire reached a last-minute deal averting a trial Wednesday to determine how to split a $4 billion settlement.

The agreement means victims and survivors will not have to testify, reliving in court details of the massive inferno in Lahaina that killed more than 100 people, destroyed thousands of properties and caused an estimated $5.5 billion worth of damage.

Before the trial was scheduled to begin Wednesday morning, lawyers met in private with Judge Peter Cahill, who later announced that a deal had been reached late Tuesday.

Hamas hostages: Hamas will release three Israelis, including two women and an 80-year-old man, as well as five Thai nationals during the next hostage release set for Thursday, Israel and Hamas said Wednesday as their tenuous ceasefire moves ahead.

The Israeli women are Arbel Yehoud, 29, and Agam Berger, 20, and the man is Gadi Moses. The identities of the Thai nationals were not immediately known.

A number of foreign workers were taken captive along with dozens of Israeli civilians and soldiers during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack that set off the war in Gaza. Twenty-three Thai hostages were released in the first ceasefire in November 2023. Israel says eight remain.

Iran-backed Hamas is releasing hostages in phases in exchange for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The prisoners range from individuals detained over minor offenses in recent months to senior militants serving life sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks on Israeli civilians.

Cabinet pick for Commerce: Billionaire financier Howard Lutnick, President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Commerce Department, said Wednesday he would sell all of his business holdings within 90 days.

“I will divest, I will sell all of my interests, my business interests, all of my assets, everything,’’ Lutnick said in a confirmation hearing Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. “I made the decision I’ve made enough money in my life.”

Lutnick, head of the investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald, has complicated business dealings. His financial disclosure statement showed that he had positions in more than 800 businesses and other private organizations.

He has emerged as an outspoken supporter of Trump’s hard-line trade policies. Lutnick suggested Wednesday that any tariffs on Canada and Mexico could be avoided if they complied with Trump’s demand to stop the flow of undocumented immigrants and fentanyl into the U.S.

EPA leader confirmed: The Republican-controlled Senate on Wednesday confirmed Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, a key role to help President Donald Trump fulfill his pledge to roll back major environmental regulations, including those aimed at slowing climate change and encouraging use of electric vehicles.

The vote was 56-42 in Zeldin’s favor. Three Democrats — Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly of Arizona and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania — supported Zeldin, along with all 53 Republicans.

Zeldin, a former Republican congressman from New York, is a longtime Trump ally and served on Trump’s defense team during his first impeachment. He voted against certifying Trump’s 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden.

Zeldin, 44, said during his confirmation hearing that he has a moral responsibility to be a good steward of the environment and pledged to support career staff who have dedicated themselves to the agency’s mission to protect human health and the environment.

Zeldin repeatedly declined to commit to specific policies, however, promising not to prejudge outcomes before arriving at the EPA.