In a shocking move surrounding president-elect Donald Trump’s on-going legal battles, Special Counsel Jack Smith has abruptly asked a judge to drop all charges against Trump stemming from Smith’s investigation into the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol breach, this according to a Fox News report.
Judge Tanya Chutkan will still need to approve the request before the case is formally dismissed. The filing went live on the Department of Justice docket this afternoon.
After Trump’s landslide victory in the 2024 presidential election earlier this month, Smith indicated he would begin winding down the case against Trump.
Smith had previously filed a motion to vacate all deadlines in the 2020 election interference case against Trump in Washington, D.C. – a widely expected move, but one that stopped short of dropping the case against Trump completely.
Smith had said his team planned to give an updated report on the official status of the case against Trump on Dec. 2. Today’s news comes nearly a week ahead of that deadline.
Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges in the case and took the case to the U.S. Supreme Court where his legal team argued on the basis of presidential immunity.
The court ruled that Trump was immune from prosecution for official presidential acts, which forced Smith to file a new indictment.
Trump pleaded not guilty to those new charges, too.
Trump’s attorneys have been seeking to have the election interference charges dropped in Washington, D.C., alleging that Smith was appointed unlawfully.
Smith’s case related to Trump’s alleged improper retention of classified records was dismissed by a federal judge this summer. The judge ruled that Smith was unlawfully appointed as special counsel.
There is an appeal still pending in that case, though reports indicated that Smith could drop that case as well.
Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges stemming from both of Smith’s investigations.
Smith is expected to resign as special counsel before Trump takes office.
This is an on-going story. Check back for more updates.