Court proceedings against Trump for the 2020 elections are cancelled

2024-11-08 20:31:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

A judge overseeing the case against Donald Trump for meddling in the 2020 election has canceled any remaining court proceedings as prosecutors assess "the course to be taken" after Trump's victory in the Nov. 5 presidential election.

Special Counsel Jack Smith last year accused Trump of plotting to overturn the 2020 presidential election and accused him of illegally possessing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

But Smith's team has been considering how to close the two federal cases before the president-elect takes office because longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted, he said. an official with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press.

Trump's victory against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris means the US Justice Department believes he can no longer face criminal prosecution, according to the department's legal opinions that are in place to protect sitting presidents.

Trump had criticized both criminal cases, calling them politically motivated, and declared that he would fire Smith "within two seconds" of taking office.

In a court filing Friday regarding the 2020 election case, Smith's team asked that the court proceedings be dismissed, saying time is needed "to assess the unprecedented circumstances and determine the appropriate course forward in line with policy." Department of Justice".

Judge Tanya Chutkan immediately granted the request and ordered prosecutors to submit their proposals "on the direction they should take in this case" by December 2.

Trump's trial was scheduled to begin in March in Washington, where more than 1,000 of his supporters have faced charges for their role in the riots at the US Capitol. But the case was dropped after Trump claimed immunity from prosecution and the case went to the Supreme Court.

In July, the Supreme Court said former presidents were immune from prosecution, and the case went back to Chutkan to decide which allegations of the indictment can be brought forward.

Meanwhile, the case over the classified documents has been stalled since July, when Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case over allegations that Smith was illegally appointed.

Smith has appealed the decision and the case is still being heard by the Court of Appeal.

Although Smith intends to withdraw his case against Trump over the classified documents, he will likely continue to challenge Cannon's decision on the legality of his appointment./REL