U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith resigns after leading federal cases against Donald Trump, as the president-elect prepares to return to the White House, signalling a collapse of criminal cases.
U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led the federal cases against Donald Trump on charges of trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat and mishandling of classified documents, has resigned, as the Republican president-elect prepared to return to the White House.
Smith resigned on Friday from the Department of Justice, according to a court filing on Saturday to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, asking her to lift a court order she issued blocking release of his final report.
Notice of Smith's resignation came in a footnote in the filing, which said the Special Counsel had completed his work, submitted his final confidential report on January 7, and "separated" from the Justice Department on January 10.
A former war crimes prosecutor, Smith brought two of the four criminal cases Trump faced after leaving office, but saw them grind to a halt after a Trump-appointed judge in Florida dismissed one and the U.S. Supreme Court -- with three justices appointed by Trump -- found that former presidents have sweeping immunity from prosecution for official acts. Neither case went to trial.
After Trump defeated Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the November 5 election, Smith dropped both cases, citing a longstanding Justice Department rule against prosecuting sitting presidents. In asking courts to dismiss the charges, Smith's team defended the merits of the cases they had brought, signaling only that Trump's impending return to the White House made them untenable.
Smith's departure is another marker of the collapse of the criminal cases against Trump, which could end without any legal consequences for the incoming president and sparked a backlash that helped fuel his political comeback
Smith's resignation from the Justice Department was expected. Trump, who has frequently called Smith "deranged", had said he would fire him immediately upon taking office on January 20, and has suggested that he may pursue retribution against Smith and others who investigated him once he returns to office.
Trump in 2023 became the first sitting or former U.S. president to face criminal prosecution, first in New York, where he was charged with trying to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Smith's charges followed, accusing Trump of illegally retaining classified material after leaving office and of trying to overturn his 2020 loss, a campaign that sparked the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. Prosecutors in Georgia also charged Trump over his efforts to overturn his election defeat in that state.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he sees progress between Israel and Lebanon after talks with Netanyahu, while Hezbollah has rejected a new ceasefire ...
Azerbaijan has strongly rejected allegations published by CNN claiming that its territory was used for Israeli military and intelligence operations ag...
Azerbaijan is once again at the centre of global climate diplomacy, hosting World Environment Day 2026 and bringing together international leaders, po...
The Eighth Global Environment Facility (GEF) Assembly has concluded in Samarkand, bringing together representatives from 186 countries to set environm...
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted Nigerien President Abdourahamane Tchiani in Ankara on Thursday, underscoring Türkiye’s growing engag...
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said in a statement that its Aerospace Force did not strike the Kuwait Airport passenger terminal on Wednesday, and that the destruction was instead caused by a failed U.S. Patriot missile.
Five Azerbaijani citizens have been killed and three others injured following drone attacks on two cargo vessels in the Sea of Azov, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
Azerbaijan has strongly rejected allegations published by CNN claiming that its territory was used for Israeli military and intelligence operations against Iran, describing the report as entirely baseless and demanding a retraction.
As Armenia heads toward parliamentary elections on 7 June, the country's relationship with Azerbaijan is emerging as one of the defining issues of the campaign, with analysts and international observers highlighting the role of regional politics in shaping voters’ mindsets.
Armenia will hold parliamentary elections on 7 June 2026, a vote that will shape the country’s political direction for the next five years. Understanding how the electoral system converts votes into parliamentary power is key to following the outcome and its wider regional implications.
People across Gaza are facing a worsening humanitarian crisis, with millions struggling to access food, clean water, shelter and medical care as the conflict continues.
The next time a goal goes in during a Champions League final, fans around the world could watch it from every angle at once — frozen, rotated and replayed in ways that were impossible only a few years ago.
An ageing, poorly insured shadow armada now accounts for around one-sixth of the world's tanker fleet. Hidden by design and fraught with risk, it operates beyond conventional oversight. A maritime law expert explains how it works, who profits, and why much of the world looks the other way.
Azerbaijan has strongly rejected allegations published by CNN claiming that its territory was used for Israeli military and intelligence operations against Iran, describing the report as entirely baseless and demanding a retraction.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted Nigerien President Abdourahamane Tchiani in Ankara on Thursday, underscoring Türkiye’s growing engagement with Africa’s Sahel region as geopolitical alliances continue to shift.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment