(CLO) US Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, who led federal cases against President-elect Donald Trump related to the 2020 election and mishandling of classified documents, has resigned.
Smith resigned from the Justice Department on Friday, according to a court filing with U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Saturday. Smith's resignation was announced in a footnote to the filing, which states that the Special Counsel completed his work, filed his final classified report on January 7, and "left" the Justice Department on January 10.
Prosecutor Jack Smith. Photo: X/Sisson
Smith handled two of the four criminal cases Trump faced, but they stalled. A Florida judge dismissed one and the US Supreme Court said former presidents have blanket immunity from prosecution for official acts.
After Mr. Trump defeated Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 election, Smith dropped both lawsuits, citing a long-standing Justice Department rule against prosecuting sitting presidents.
Smith's resignation from the Justice Department was widely expected. Mr. Trump, who has often called Smith a "lunatic," has said he will fire the prosecutor as soon as he takes office on January 20.
Mr Trump in 2023 became the first sitting or former US president to face criminal prosecution, first in New York, where he was accused of trying to cover up a "hush money" payment to a porn star during his 2016 campaign.
Smith's charges follow, accusing Trump of illegally retaining classified material after leaving office and of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Prosecutors in Georgia also charged Trump with failed attempts to overturn that state's election loss, but the case is now also stalled.
Mr. Trump has denied wrongdoing and criticized the prosecutions as politically motivated attempts to damage his campaign. In the only criminal trial brought in connection with the “hush money” case, Mr. Trump was “acquitted.”
Huy Hoang (according to MSN, Reuters, AOL)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/cong-to-vien-chuyen-to-cao-ong-trump-tu-chuc-khoi-bo-tu-phap-my-post330029.html
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