President-elect Trump bragged Monday about Special Counsel Jack Smith's move to drop the federal case against him.
“These lawsuits, like all the others I have been forced to take, are empty and lawless and should never have been filed,” Trump said in a statement that Smith has filed both lawsuits. He said this on his Truth social platform shortly after the news of the move to dismiss broke. Election interference case and classified documents case against Mr. Trump.
“More than $100 million of taxpayers' money is being wasted in a fight between Democrats and their political opponents, ME. Nothing like this has ever happened in our country before,” Trump added.
Smith said Monday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has moved to dismiss two federal criminal cases against Trump, citing its longstanding policy against prosecuting sitting presidents.
“After careful consideration, the Department has determined that OLC's previous opinion regarding the Constitution's prohibition on federal prosecution and prosecution of a sitting president applies to this situation and, as a result, this charge was dismissed before the defendant took office. “We decided that it was necessary,” Smith's team wrote. The Jan. 6 lawsuit cites the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel.
“That prohibition is categorical and does not override the seriousness of the crimes charged, the strength of the government's evidence, or the merits of the prosecution, which the government fully supports.”
Smith has also moved to deny Trump's appeal of a motion to dismiss the case in Florida, where he is charged with violating the Espionage Act and obstruction of justice. It has become.
The Justice Department will continue prosecuting two of Trump's co-defendants in the case, Trump valet Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos de Oliveira. Smith noted in his filing that neither of them had immunity.
Smith moved to dismiss both cases “without prejudice,” leaving the door open to possible future charges. Prosecutors may now argue that the statute of limitations for prosecution related to these crimes should essentially be suspended while Trump is in office, so they cannot be prosecuted.
Smith is expected to resign from the Justice Department ahead of President Trump's inauguration, after which Trump said he would fire the special counsel “within two seconds.”
