US judiciary
Prosecution wants Trump’s election fraud case closed
Trump’s victory in the presidential election not only brings him back to power. Some of his legal problems also disappear into thin air. Special Counsel Jack Smith makes a decision.
The US Attorney’s Office has requested that criminal proceedings against US President-elect Donald Trump be dropped for attempted election fraud. Special Counsel Jack Smith justified the decision with the practice that the Justice Department does not take action against sitting presidents. Trump will move back into the White House in January – he won the presidential election at the beginning of November against Democrat Kamala Harris.
Prosecution: Circumstances have changed
“The government’s position on the merits of prosecuting the defendant has not changed. But the circumstances have changed,” the motion letter states. The public prosecutor emphasizes that the decision has no substantive reasons. However, she leaves open the possibility of bringing charges again as soon as the Republican is no longer president.
Trump was federally indicted in Washington in connection with attempted election fraud and the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. These were the most serious allegations against the 78-year-old. If convicted, he would have faced decades in prison. Smith revised the charges in the summer after the Supreme Court granted US presidents broad immunity for official acts.
Trump spoke of a “witch hunt”
With this decision, the Justice Department probably just got ahead of Trump. Because the proceedings are at the federal level, Trump would probably have stopped the investigation after taking office anyway and ordered the Justice Department to close the proceedings. Trump has always described the investigations against him as political persecution and spoke of a “witch hunt.” Experts also believe it is possible that Trump could pardon himself once he is in office.
Trump faced multiple criminal charges after his first term in office. In addition to the proceedings in Washington, he was accused in the US state of Florida of illegally storing highly sensitive information from his term as president in private rooms. The judiciary also took action against him in New York and the state of Georgia. It once looked as if Trump would spend much of the election year in court because of the numerous investigations against him. But with legal maneuvers, Trump’s lawyers managed to block the proceedings.
dpa
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
