Special counsel Jack Smith has announced that he will be dropping his 2020 election interference case against Donald Trump, following the President-elect’s victory.
In a motion filed on Monday, Smith said there was precedent to not bring an indictment or proceedings against a sitting president, but stressed that the decision had been made due to the recommendations of the Justice Department rather than the strength of the case.
“The (Justice) Department’s position is that the Constitution requires that this case be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated,” Smith wrote in the six-page filing. “This outcome is not based on the merits or strength of the case against the defendant.”
“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.”
Trump has previously said that he would fire Smith from his position on his first day back in the Oval Office.
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