Special counsel Jack Smith asked a federal judge on Monday to dismiss the case accusing President-elect Donald Trump of plotting to overturn the 2020 election, citing longstanding Justice Department policy shielding presidents from prosecution while in office.

The move announced in court papers marks the end of the Justice Department’s landmark effort to make Trump accountable for what prosecutors claimed was a criminal conspiracy to cling to power in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

“We were looking forward for President Trump winning at trial,” Trump lawyer John Lauro told Newsmax Congressional Correspondent Kilmeny Duchardt, “but the American people in this election have already decided he is innocent of these charges. This is a great day for President Trump and an even greater day for the American people.”

Read more at Newsmax© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.