Now this is hilarious!
Special Counsel Jack Smith took a significant step on Friday by filing a motion to pause all deadlines in the 2020 election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump. This move was widely anticipated following Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, and it aligns with the Justice Department’s longstanding policy of refraining from prosecuting a sitting president. While Smith’s motion does not officially drop the case, it strongly suggests that the investigation could be winding down.
Trump, who has repeatedly vowed to remove Smith if re-elected, would no doubt view this development as a step in the right direction. The Special Counsel’s decision to delay further action, with a status update scheduled for December 2, signals that the legal battle Trump has faced since leaving office may soon be over. Trump’s vow to fire Smith, whom he has repeatedly criticized as a partisan prosecutor, shows his resolve to rid himself of the legal challenges that have dogged him for years.
The investigation led by Jack Smith, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022, has focused on two primary issues: Trump’s alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House. However, according to a recent report from Fox News, the Department of Justice is now moving to conclude these federal cases, in accordance with the Office of Legal Counsel’s interpretation that criminal investigations of a sitting president violate the separation of powers doctrine.
Former Attorney General Bill Barr has been vocal in calling for the DOJ to end the federal prosecutions in both Washington, D.C., and Florida. He argued that continuing these cases would only serve to distract from the nation’s business and hinder the incoming administration. Barr, echoing concerns that the legal battles are becoming a “spectacle,” believes that local prosecutions in New York and Georgia should be reassessed as well.
As the legal challenges against Trump begin to unwind, the focus should shift to ensuring that the new administration can govern without the distraction of politically motivated legal battles. The country needs leadership, not more courtroom drama.