At left, the signature of Jack Smith, Special Counsel on the indictment against former President Donald Trump. The case has been dropped as of Monday, November 25, 2024. On the right, President-elect Trump speaks to supporters at the Trump Force 47 campaign office in Roseville on Monday, August 26, 2024.
© Andrew P. Scott / USA TODAY NETWORK + © Ryan Garza / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
(Washington, DC) – The Special Counsel that has been prosecuting President-elect Trump for alleged election interference has filed to drop the charges. Jack Smith, who also brought charges against Trump for his alleged mishandling of classified documents, filed that request on Monday, November 25, 2024. It comes after the Supreme Court upheld the doctrine of presidential immunity over the summer, meaning Trump is shielded from prosecution in connection to his “carrying out of official duties.”
Smith had indicted Trump on federal charges after the former president and now president-elect pursued investigations tied into voter fraud, following the 2020 election. One of the central parts of the case hinged on Trump asking then Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to look into the election’s results in the peach state. Overall, the margin of victory for Biden was narrow in 2020, and the official count took weeks to complete — leading to a lengthy back-and-forth over questions concerning vote counts, recounts, and potential voter fraud. That was especially true amid the increased use of mail-in voting in 2020, during the COVID pandemic.
As for Smith filing to drop the charges, Trump’s team applauded the decision. They also called for an end to what they describe as the blatantly “political prosecution” of their client.
