US federal charges against Trump dismissed
A US district court has granted Special Counsel Jack Smith’s request to dismiss the federal case against President-elect Donald Trump, effectively ending the investigation into his conduct following the 2020 presidential election.
The charges were based on allegations that Trump tried to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 election, which he lost to Joe Biden, and mishandled classified documents after leaving office in 2021. Trump has argued that the prosecution was politically motivated and claimed that the case was orchestrated by the Democrats.
“The court will grant the government’s motion to dismiss, and dismiss the superseding indictment without prejudice,” Columbia District Judge Chutkan wrote in her decision, citing the legal immunity afforded to sitting US presidents.
The document was published just hours after Smith filed motions to drop the charges against Trump.
Trump’s spokesman, Steven Cheung, welcomed the ruling. “Today’s decision by the Department of Justice ends the unconstitutional federal cases against President Trump, and is a major victory for the rule of law,” Cheung said in a statement. “The American people and President Trump want an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and we look forward to uniting our country,” he added.
Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday that the charges against him are “empty and lawless, and should never have been brought.” He previously threatened to fire Smith immediately upon starting his second term as president, describing the special counsel as a “crooked person.”
Trump still faces a criminal case in Georgia, which also alleges that he ran a scheme aimed at overturning the 2020 election.
In May, a New York jury found Trump guilty of campaign finance violations. The sentencing has been postponed indefinitely, however. As with the other cases against him, Trump denies any wrongdoing.
