Chicago – November 09, 2024
Special Counsel Jack Smith has filed a motion to delay all deadlines in the 2020 election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. This move, anticipated after Trump’s re-election, aligns with the Department of Justice’s longstanding policy of not prosecuting a sitting president.
The case against Trump is not completely dismissed but seems to be heading in that direction. Smith announced plans to provide an update on the case’s status on December 2.
This development likely comes as a relief to Trump, who had promised to dismiss Smith promptly if re-elected. Trump has been eager to move past the legal challenges that have followed his 2020 election loss.
Smith, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022, was investigating Trump’s alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and the retention of supposedly classified documents at his Florida home post-presidency.
The Department of Justice has been aiming to close its criminal cases against Trump in Washington, D.C., and Florida, based on guidance that prosecuting a sitting president could violate the separation of powers.
Meanwhile, next week, the judge in New York will decide whether to proceed with felony conviction proceedings against Trump or apply broader presidential immunity rights recently affirmed by the Supreme Court.
