26-11-2024 (WASHINGTON) Special Counsel Jack Smith has moved to dismiss all federal charges against President-elect Donald Trump, effectively ending two major prosecutions that had dominated the political landscape.
Judge Tanya Chutkan of the US District Court promptly approved the motion to dismiss charges related to the January 6 Capitol incident, terminating the case that had accused Trump of orchestrating efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
The dismissal encompasses both the classified documents case, initially filed in Miami with 37 felony counts, and the election interference case, which had charged Trump with four serious felonies, including conspiracy to defraud the United States.
The Special Counsel’s office cited the Department of Justice’s long-standing policy that prohibits the prosecution of sitting presidents, acknowledging that Trump’s electoral victory created an insurmountable legal barrier. “Whilst our position on the merits of the prosecution remains unchanged, circumstances have fundamentally altered,” Smith’s office stated in Monday’s filing.
This policy, established during the Watergate era, mirrors the same legal doctrine that previously shielded Trump from potential charges during Robert Mueller’s investigation in his first term. The doctrine emphasises Congress’s constitutional role in addressing presidential misconduct through impeachment rather than criminal prosecution.
The path to dismissal was significantly influenced by recent Supreme Court decisions. Conservative justices delivered a landmark ruling on presidential immunity, effectively expanding executive protection from prosecution. This decision, coupled with procedural delays, made it impossible to conduct trials before the election.
In the classified documents case, Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon’s dismissal of all charges, though controversial among legal experts, proved pivotal. Her ruling challenged Smith’s appointment legitimacy, departing from decades of judicial precedent.
Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, heralded the decision as “a triumph for constitutional principles” and called for an end to what he termed the “political weaponisation of justice.”
The dismissals come as Trump prepares to return to office, with plans to pardon an undetermined number of January 6 participants, whom he has repeatedly praised as “patriots.” His inauguration ceremony, scheduled for 20 January 2025, is expected to proceed through the very location where some of the most violent scenes of January 6 unfolded.
The Justice Department is reportedly accelerating efforts to apprehend the most serious Capitol riot offenders before Trump’s inauguration, acknowledging the likelihood of presidential pardons under the new administration.
