Special Counsel Jack Smith filed a motion Friday in Washington, D.C., to void all deadlines in the 2020 election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump. This was a widely expected move, but it stopped short of completely dropping the case against Trump.
Mr. Smith's charges are widely expected after Mr. Trump wins a second term and are in line with the Justice Department's long-standing policy of barring criminal charges against sitting presidents.
The case has not been officially dismissed, but appears to be heading in that direction. Smith said Friday that his team plans to provide an update on the official status of the case against Trump on Dec. 2.
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donald trump and jack smith (Getty Images)
The news will come as a welcome relief to Trump, who had vowed to fire Smith “within two seconds” if re-elected. This frees Trump from both a year of legal hostilities and the criminal charges he faced after his 2020 election loss.
Mr. Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 to investigate allegations that Mr. Trump and his allies sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and after Mr. Trump left the White House in 2020. Both were asked to investigate the storage of allegedly classified documents at a state residence. 2020.
Fox News reported earlier this week that the Justice Department is considering scaling back criminal cases against Trump in Washington, D.C. and Florida, with the general counsel saying it is against Justice Department policy to investigate a sitting president. He cited a bureau memo. It is subject to criminal prosecution and violates the principle of separation of powers.
Smith prosecuted Trump in Washington, D.C., earlier this year on charges stemming from the former president's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
He also filed federal charges against Trump in Florida for his handling of classified documents after he left the White House.
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump raises his fist during a campaign rally at Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania on November 4, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Former Attorney General Bill Barr told Fox News Digital earlier this week that Smith should immediately halt his federal lawsuits in both Washington, D.C. and Florida, citing Justice Department policy.
President Trump remains convicted in Georgia and New York, but Barr said this week that local prosecutors and judges need to move on from this “spectacle.” prosecute the next president.
“Further investigation of these cases in the coming weeks will serve no legitimate purpose and will only distract the country and the next administration from its immediate mission,” Barr said.
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Next week, the presiding judge in the New York case will decide whether the state will proceed with the felony conviction process against Trump in the final months before he took office, or whether it will apply the presidential immunity argument expanded by the Supreme Court earlier this year. is expected to be announced. year.
