Federal prosecutors moved Monday to dismiss the criminal charges against President-elect Donald Trump that accused him of plotting to overturn the 2020 election and to abandon the classified documents case against him, citing longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. The decision by special counsel Jack Smith, who had fiercely sought to hold Trump criminally accountable for his efforts to subvert the 2020 election, represented the end of the federal effort against the former president following his election victory this month despite the election-related cases and multiple other unrelated criminal charges against him and is headed back to the White House. The decision, revealed in court filings, also amounts to a predictable but nonetheless stunning conclusion to criminal cases that had been seen as the most perilous of the multiple legal threats Trump has faced. It reflects the practical consequences of Trump’s victory, ensuring he enters office free from scrutiny over his hoarding of top secret documents and his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. Smith’s team emphasized that the move to abandon the prosecutions, in federal courts in Washington and Florida, was not a reflection of their view on the merits of the cases but rather a reflection of their commitment to longstanding department policy.
via ap: Special counsel moves to dismiss election interference and classified documents cases against Trump
siehe auch: Sonderermittler will zwei Verfahren gegen Trump einstellen. Weil sich „die Umstände geändert haben“: US-Sonderermittler Jack Smith will die Verfahren gegen Donald Trump nicht weiter betreiben. Die US-Justiz warf dem designierten US-Präsidenten versuchte Wahlmanipulation und die illegale Lagerung geheimer Regierungsdokumente vor. Anzeige Zwei Strafverfahren gegen den künftigen US-Präsidenten Donald Trump wegen versuchter Wahlbeeinflussung und der womöglich gesetzeswidrigen Aufbewahrung von Geheimdokumenten sollen eingestellt werden. Sonderermittler Jack Smith beantragte am Montag, die Anklagen auf Bundesebene noch vor Trumps Amtseinführung im Januar fallen zu lassen. Smith begründete die Entscheidung mit der Gepflogenheit, dass das Justizministerium nicht gegen amtierende Präsidenten vorgehe. Trump zieht im Januar wieder ins Weiße Haus ein – er hatte bei der Präsidentenwahl Anfang November gegen die Demokratin Kamala Harris gewonnen.