Judge Grants Smith's Request to Drop Trump Charges

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Facts

  • US District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Monday dismissed 'without prejudice' special counsel Jack Smith's election interference case against Pres.-elect Donald Trump related to attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.[1][2]
  • Earlier Monday, in a six-page filing, Smith sought the dismissal of the case, writing that the Dept. of Justice's (DOJ) position is 'that the Constitution requires' the case be 'dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated.' Smith added, 'this outcome is not based on the merits or strength of the case against' Trump.[3]
  • Previously, Smith filed a motion to vacate all deadlines in the case, which had accused Trump of a 'criminal scheme' that featured enlisting 'fake electors' and using the vice president to 'alter the election results' in an effort to deny Pres. Joe Biden his victory over Trump.[4][5]
  • Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges in the initial case and a subsequent revised indictment Smith filed after the US Supreme Court ruled that presidents can't be criminally charged for official acts.[4][5]
  • This comes months after a federal judge dismissed Smith's case against Trump over his alleged mishandling of classified documents. That judge ruled Smith had been unconstitutionally appointed. Smith on Monday dropped his appeal of that ruling.[4][6]
  • While campaigning, Trump has said numerous times he planned to fire Smith upon taking office. Smith, in turn, has expressed his goal of resigning before Trump's inauguration.[7]

Sources: [1]Associated Press, [2]BBC News, [3]CNN, [4]FOX News, [5]ABC News, [6]Forbes and [7]The Hill.

Narratives

  • Democratic narrative, as provided by MSNBC and NBC. Smith dropping this case is in no way an exoneration of Trump — it's just the result of Smith being caught between upholding the rule of law and adhering to a policy of not pursuing charges against a sitting president. Even as he faced these charges from Smith, Trump continued spreading lies about the 2020 election being stolen from him. It's unfortunate Trump won't even face trial for his undemocratic actions.
  • Republican narrative, as provided by PJ Media and Townhall. The Democrats' lawfare against Trump has failed. These politically motivated cases were used as a form of election interference to try to prevent Trump's return from the White House — and now he'll be taking the oath of office next month. Although he's dropped the charges, Smith shouldn't be exonerated from facing consequences for conjuring up these preposterous cases. A full investigation must be carried out.