US court approves dismissal of criminal case against President-elect Trump

A US district court has dismissed a federal criminal case against President-elect Donald Trump over the January 2021 Capitol riot. The decision came at the request of the nation’s attorney general, who is overseeing the case and another criminal case against Trump.

Special Prosecutor Jack Smith said in a motion filed Monday that the request was based on the Justice Department’s policy against indicting a sitting president. Trump is scheduled to take office as president in January.

Also that day, Smith asked the appeals court to dismiss another lawsuit accusing Trump of illegally withholding classified documents when he leaves office in 2021 after completing his first term as president.

In both filings, Smith said the government’s position on the merits of the defendant’s prosecution had not changed.

One of the applications stated that the fact that the defendant will be inaugurated as president on January 20 “contradicts two fundamental and compelling national interests: on the one hand, the Constitution’s requirement that the President should not be unduly burdened in the discharge of his grave responsibilities” and “on the other hand, the nation’s commitment to the rule of law and the long-standing principle that no person in this country is too high to be above the law.”

The statement also stated that the prosecutor’s understanding is that the immunity granted to the incumbent President is temporary and ends when he leaves office.

Smith was reportedly considering leaving the special counsel before Trump took office.

“These lawsuits, like all the other lawsuits I have had to file, are futile and illegal and should never have been brought. Over $100 Million of Taxpayers’ Dollars were collected,” Trump said in his post on social media Truth Social. “The Democratic Party’s political rival was wasted in its fight against ME.”

He said it was a “political hijack” and the worst thing to happen in US history. And he added, “but still, despite everything, I persevered and WON.”