Home US Trump arch-enemy Jack Smith is stepping down from the DOJ

Trump arch-enemy Jack Smith is stepping down from the DOJ

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A footnote in a motion submitted to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Saturday said Smith had completed his work and separated from the department on Jan. 10.

Special Counsel Jack Smith resigned from his position on Friday after completing two criminal investigations into President-elect Donald Trump.

A footnote in a motion submitted to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Saturday said Smith had completed his work and separated from the department on Jan. 10.

That motion urged Cannon not to renew a court order she issued last week blocking the release of Smith’s final report.

Lawyers for Trump had convinced the Trump-appointed judge to block the release of the portion of Smith’s report related to their case to her.

Trump was accused of deliberately keeping classified documents at Mar-a-Lago in a case that Cannon dismissed this summer and was on appeal when Trump won the November election.

Trump’s team had also asked an appeals court to block the release of the full two-part report.

Legal filings released earlier this week show that Smith has accused Trump of being “the head of the criminal conspiracies,” and his footnotes show that the combined reports total more than 200 pages.

Another case led by Smith focused on Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss leading up to January 6.

None of Smith’s cases against Trump went to trial and the president-elect has fiercely maintained his innocence throughout the “political” prosecution.

A footnote in a motion submitted to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Saturday said Smith had completed his work and separated from the department on Jan. 10.

Reports emerged in November last year that he planned to resign before Trump came to power.

Sources close to Smith told the New York Times that he wants to finish his job and avoid being fired “in two seconds” after Trump is sworn in on January 20.

Trump was indicted on felony charges in August 2023 for attempting to overturn the election leading up to January 6.

In November, he moved to drop charges against Trump, asking Judge Tanya S. Chutkan to dismiss the case without prejudice because of the policy barring the prosecution of a sitting president.

The judge granted his request, agreeing with Smith’s verbiage about a dismissal “without prejudice,” which could technically allow the charges to come back after Trump leaves office.

“Dismissal without prejudice is appropriate here,” Chutkan wrote.

“Dismissal without prejudice is also consistent with the administration’s understanding that immunity granted to a sitting president is temporary and expires when he leaves office,” she added.

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