Special investigator Jack Smith appointed by the US government has spoken out in favor of closing the case against US President-elect Donald Trump for attempted election manipulation. In a submission to the federal judge in charge on Monday, Smith argued that such an approach was consistent with the Justice Department’s usual practice of not prosecuting sitting presidents.
Donald Trump speaks of a “great victory”
Trump, who begins his second term on January 20, was charged in the proceedings with, among other things, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of an official act. This is about his attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat against Joe Biden through unsubstantiated allegations of fraud and his role in the storming of the Capitol by his radical supporters on January 6, 2021.
In an initial reaction on Monday, the Trump team spoke of a “big victory”. With his comeback as US President, Trump is now likely to avoid this and two other criminal proceedings. In a fourth trial, in which he was found guilty by a jury in May in connection with a hush money payment, the announcement of the sentence was postponed indefinitely last Friday.
