New York, Nov 26 (IANS) A federal judge has dismissed the election interference case against US President-elect Donald Trump granting the special prosecutor’s request citing the changed circumstances after he won the presidency.
Special Prosecutor Jack Smith filed requests to the judges in the two cases he had filed against Trump relating to his alleged role in the January 6 riot and the removal of classified documents from the White House.
Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington accepted the request and dismissed all the charges against Trump in the election interference case.
In the classified documents case, Judge Aileen Cannon had dismissed the case by Smith, who appealed against it to a higher court.
He wrote to the appeals court that he was withdrawing the appeal and dropping the charges and it is expected the court will comply.
Smith said that he was dropping the case because of the Justice Department policy against prosecuting sitting Presidents but said he stood by the validity of the prosecution.
“The Government’s position on the merits of the defendant’s prosecution has not changed. But the circumstances have,” he wrote, noting that “a criminal prosecution is already underway when the defendant is elected president”.
Trump had denounced the two prosecutions as politically-motivated weaponisation of the judicial system.
This removes the cloud of federal prosecution hanging over him as he prepares to become President again in January.
In a local-level prosecution in New York, he was convicted of fraud for recording hush money payments to a porn star as legal expenses. The prosecutor has asked the judge to indefinitely postpone the sentencing while Trump’s lawyers have asked for dismissal.
Judge Juan Merchan has set deadlines next month for the two sides to file papers regarding the dismissal request.
Another local election interference in Georgia is tangled up in allegations of misconduct by the prosecutor who hired her ex-boyfriend to help prosecute it.
Although US Vice-President Kamala Harris made the prosecutions and the convictions a campaign issue, they did not have an impact on the voters and Trump donning the mantle of martyr helped him win the election.
In the Washington election interference case, Trump faced several charges that he tried to allegedly reverse the 2020 elections by stopping Congress from certifying the election of President Joe Biden.
Trump’s supporters rioted on January 6, 2021, after hearing him address a rally claiming he was being cheated of his election victory and opposing the Congress action.
His supporters invaded the Capitol with threats against then-US Vice President Mike Pence and members of Congress, who had to flee to escape the rioters’ fury.
Scores of people who participated in the riot have been convicted and many sentenced to prison terms. Trump promised during his campaign to pardon them.
In the secret documents case, Smith has indicated that he wanted to continue the prosecution against two employees of Trump who are charged with obstructing the investigation.
Biden had also allegedly taken secret documents, but Smith declined to prosecute him mentioning his mental state in the first indication of what ballooned into questions over his competence resulting in his decision to not run for re-election.
–IANS
al/khz
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