US prosecutor seeks to dismiss charges against Trump
Special Counsel Jack Smith has decided to drop both of his federal cases against the US president-elect. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Special Counsel Jack Smith has decided to drop both of his federal cases against the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump.
Smith, who is overseeing the government’s election interference and classified documents cases against Trump, filed a motion to dismiss all charges. It is anticipated that he will resign before Trump takes office in January.
In his filing regarding the election interference case on Monday, Smith stated that although “the Government’s position on the merits of the defendant’s prosecution has not changed,” the Department of Justice has a policy against the criminal prosecution of a sitting president. He emphasized, “That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind,” as detailed in his submission to a federal court in Washington, DC.
The case will only be dismissed if District Judge Tanya Chutkan grants Smith’s request.
Smith had previously charged Trump with attempting to overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. He alleged that Trump pressured election officials to reverse the results and incited his supporters to riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an effort to obstruct the certification of Biden’s win. Trump faced four felony charges: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, and obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, in addition to conspiracy against rights.
During his campaign, Trump labeled Smith a “deranged lunatic” and dismissed the case as a “pathetic attempt” by the Biden administration to imprison a political rival.
On the same day in a separate filing in Florida, Smith withdrew his appeal against a district judge's ruling that dismissed a case concerning Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office in 2021. Smith had charged Trump with 40 criminal counts after the FBI discovered large quantities of government documents during a pre-dawn search of his Mar-a-Lago estate last year. However, a ruling in July from District Judge Aileen Cannon determined that Smith lacked the authority to prosecute Trump in this matter.
With the abandonment of these two federal cases, Smith is expected to resign before January 20 when the president-elect assumes office. Even if Smith were to remain, Trump has already announced his intention to terminate the “crooked” prosecutor “within two seconds” of taking office.
In addition to Smith's cases, Trump faces charges in New York for allegedly misreporting “hush money” payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, and in Georgia for allegedly conspiring to overturn the state's 2020 election results. In May, he was found guilty on all counts in New York, after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg successfully converted a misdemeanor charge into 34 felonies, reflecting each payment made to Daniels.
Although Trump was scheduled for sentencing in New York later this month, Judge Juan Merchan postponed it indefinitely and agreed to review a motion from Trump’s legal team to dismiss the case entirely.
Trump is still contending with state-level election interference charges in Georgia, even though three counts were dropped earlier this year. Recent oral arguments were canceled, and it is generally expected that this case will also be dismissed before the president-elect’s inauguration.
Mathilde Moreau contributed to this report for TROIB News
Smith, who is overseeing the government’s election interference and classified documents cases against Trump, filed a motion to dismiss all charges. It is anticipated that he will resign before Trump takes office in January.
In his filing regarding the election interference case on Monday, Smith stated that although “the Government’s position on the merits of the defendant’s prosecution has not changed,” the Department of Justice has a policy against the criminal prosecution of a sitting president. He emphasized, “That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind,” as detailed in his submission to a federal court in Washington, DC.
The case will only be dismissed if District Judge Tanya Chutkan grants Smith’s request.
Smith had previously charged Trump with attempting to overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. He alleged that Trump pressured election officials to reverse the results and incited his supporters to riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an effort to obstruct the certification of Biden’s win. Trump faced four felony charges: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, and obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, in addition to conspiracy against rights.
During his campaign, Trump labeled Smith a “deranged lunatic” and dismissed the case as a “pathetic attempt” by the Biden administration to imprison a political rival.
On the same day in a separate filing in Florida, Smith withdrew his appeal against a district judge's ruling that dismissed a case concerning Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office in 2021. Smith had charged Trump with 40 criminal counts after the FBI discovered large quantities of government documents during a pre-dawn search of his Mar-a-Lago estate last year. However, a ruling in July from District Judge Aileen Cannon determined that Smith lacked the authority to prosecute Trump in this matter.
With the abandonment of these two federal cases, Smith is expected to resign before January 20 when the president-elect assumes office. Even if Smith were to remain, Trump has already announced his intention to terminate the “crooked” prosecutor “within two seconds” of taking office.
In addition to Smith's cases, Trump faces charges in New York for allegedly misreporting “hush money” payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, and in Georgia for allegedly conspiring to overturn the state's 2020 election results. In May, he was found guilty on all counts in New York, after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg successfully converted a misdemeanor charge into 34 felonies, reflecting each payment made to Daniels.
Although Trump was scheduled for sentencing in New York later this month, Judge Juan Merchan postponed it indefinitely and agreed to review a motion from Trump’s legal team to dismiss the case entirely.
Trump is still contending with state-level election interference charges in Georgia, even though three counts were dropped earlier this year. Recent oral arguments were canceled, and it is generally expected that this case will also be dismissed before the president-elect’s inauguration.
Mathilde Moreau contributed to this report for TROIB News
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