The two federal criminal cases against Donald Trump are likely to be wound down before he gets into the White House, according to reports hours after his crushing election victory over Kamala Harris.
Special Counsel Jack Smith is in talks with the Justice Department to end the January 6 and classified documents prosecutions, NBC News reported.
The move would confirm the DOJ is sticking with the precedent that no sitting president can be prosecuted.
It’s an enormous blow for Smith who ramped up the cases in the final months of the campaigns and has spent almost three years and more than $35million in taxpayer funds trying to bring the 78-year-old to trial.
Trump still faces sentencing in the New York hush money trial next month and the election interference case in Georgia headed by District Attorney Fani Wills has been beset by a slew of problems.
Trump faces four charges in federal court in Washington accusing him of spreading false claims of election fraud to try to block the collection and certification of votes following the 2020 election, which Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump asked federal courts to grant him presidential immunity, which delayed the DC case for months, although the federal judge overseeing the case is still deciding how much Trump is actually covered by presidential immunity for his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.
Since Trump will only be sworn into office on Inauguration Day on January 20, prosecutors still technically have weeks to prosecute him if they wanted to.
But just like earlier efforts, they would be vulnerable to challenges and appeal.
‘The ball’s in DOJ’s court. I think in the next 48 to 72 hours we’re going to hear something,’ said a source close to Trump’s defense. ‘The DOJ does not want to be caught up in a situation where they’re litigating something that is pointless.’
Smith had also charged Trump with unlawfully holding onto classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after his first term ended in 2021 and obstructing efforts by the U.S. government to retrieve the records.
Trump-hating NY AG vows legal fight against Trump in threat to counter any payback
Is it me or does Letiticia James sound scared?
It's that or she knows her persecution of Trump was illegal & politically motivated so she's defiant.
Either way, challenging Trump probably isn't all that smart. https://t.co/vnOcE7p7sI— Mary Walter (@MaryWalterRadio) November 6, 2024
“We did not expect this result, but we are prepared to respond to this result. We are prepared to fight back once again.”
NY AG Letitia James need to be disbarred. Her selective and vindictive prosecutions of Donald Trump are now a national security issuepic.twitter.com/Io2juhXUSQ
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) November 6, 2024