Official announcements from the Department of Justice or court filings

Special Counsel Cites DOJ Policy, Drops Jan. 6 Charges Against President-elect Trump

Nov 25, 2024, 06:24 PM

Special Counsel Jack Smith has filed an unopposed motion to dismiss all federal election interference charges against President-elect Donald Trump related to the January 6 Capitol attack. The motion comes after the Supreme Court granted Trump wide immunity, leaving the case in limbo. Citing a longstanding Department of Justice policy that bars the prosecution of a sitting president, the filing states that the Constitution requires the case to be dismissed before Trump's inauguration on January 20, 2025. The dismissal includes all four felony charges accusing Trump of seeking to overturn the results of the November 5, 2024, election. The filing effectively ends the lengthy investigation that began after the 2020 election.