“U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan granted special prosecutor Jack Smith’s request to dismiss the criminal case against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, accused of conspiring to undermine the results of the 2020 presidential election.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan granted special prosecutor Jack Smith’s request to dismiss the criminal case against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, accused of conspiring to undermine the results of the 2020 presidential election. This was a consequence of his victory in this year’s elections.
Source: The Hill
Details: The decision is based on Justice Department policy that prohibits prosecution of a sitting president.
Since Trump has been elected president, “the court is giving the government permission to close this case,” Chatken said.
The case was dismissed without prejudice, though the possibility remains that the government will re-indict Trump after his term as president is up.
The judge’s decision marks the end of Trump’s prosecution of four felony charges for trying to overturn the results of the election when he lost to Biden. In particular, this applies to his involvement in the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Earlier in the day, Smith decided to drop both of his criminal cases against Trump in accordance with the Justice Department’s policy of not prosecuting a sitting president.
He also asked to withdraw his appeal to reopen the criminal prosecution in Florida, where Trump is accused of mishandling classified documents.
That motion is pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit and is expected to grant it soon.
Prehistory:
- On November 25, the Special Prosecutor of the US Department of Justice, Jack Smith, filed a motion to close the case against Donald Trump regarding the influence on the results of the 2020 presidential election.
- In the case in question, Trump is charged with crimes related to attempts to influence the outcome of the 2020 election, when Democrat Joe Biden won. At the beginning of the month, the judge in the case, Tanya Chutkan, suspended her proceedings to give the special prosecutor time to study the possibility of bringing Trump to justice.
- Another federal criminal case about the improper storage of classified documents at Trump’s residence was closed. The special prosecutor of the Ministry of Justice filed an appeal against this decision, but now her fate is in question.
- Meanwhile, Trump’s sentencing in a criminal case in New York, where he is accused of campaign finance violations over payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, has been postponed indefinitely.
- Earlier, The Washington Post reported that Trump plans to use the Department of Justice to resolve personal issues.