Prosecutors are discussing how to drop two federal criminal cases against Donald Trump as he prepares to return to the White House, in a significant victory for the former president who has faced a series of legal battles since his first term in office.
Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed by US attorney-general Merrick Garland to oversee two cases against Trump, “is examining how to wind down” the proceedings “before he takes office to comply with long-standing department policy that a sitting president can’t be prosecuted”, a Department of Justice official familiar with the matter said.
Smith has brought two cases against Trump: one accusing him of interfering with the 2020 general election and another alleging he mishandled classified documents.