{"id":122922,"date":"2024-11-07T02:24:53","date_gmt":"2024-11-06T19:24:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=122922"},"modified":"2024-11-07T02:24:53","modified_gmt":"2024-11-06T19:24:53","slug":"doj-moving-to-wind-down-trump-criminal-cases-before-he-takes-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=122922","title":{"rendered":"DOJ moving to wind down Trump criminal cases before he takes office"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"\">Justice Department officials have\u00a0been<strong> <\/strong>evaluating how to wind down\u00a0the two federal criminal cases against\u00a0President-elect Donald Trump before he takes office to comply with long-standing department policy that a sitting president can\u2019t be prosecuted,\u00a0two\u00a0people familiar with the matter tell NBC News.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The\u00a0latest discussions\u00a0stand\u00a0in contrast with the pre-election\u00a0legal\u00a0posture of special counsel Jack Smith, who in recent weeks took significant steps in the election interference case against Trump without regard to the electoral calendar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">But the sources say DOJ officials have come to grips with the fact that no trial is possible anytime soon in either the Jan. 6\u00a0case or the classified documents matter \u2014 both of which are mired in legal issues that would likely prompt an appeal all the way to the Supreme Court,\u00a0even\u00a0if Trump had lost the election.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Now that Trump will become president again, DOJ officials see no room to pursue either criminal case against him \u2014 and no point in continuing to litigate\u00a0them\u00a0in the weeks before he takes office, the people said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cSensible, inevitable and unfortunate,\u201d said former federal prosecutor Chuck Rosenberg, an NBC News contributor.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><br class=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__yAWZ0 styles_medium__OMa6x\"><picture class=\"styles_image__1qciH\" data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-09\/240927-merrick-garland-mn-1310-ff4f3f.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-09\/240927-merrick-garland-mn-1310-ff4f3f.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-09\/240927-merrick-garland-mn-1310-ff4f3f.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-09\/240927-merrick-garland-mn-1310-ff4f3f.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-09\/240927-merrick-garland-mn-1310-ff4f3f.jpg\" alt=\"Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at the Department of Justice on Sept. 27, 2024.\" height=\"1667\" width=\"2500\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__Pe5JC\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at the Justice Department on Sept. 27.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Chip Somodevilla \/ Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">How Trump\u2019s legal jeopardy has unfolded over the past year, in terms of both the criminal charges and his sweeping election victory, is unprecedented.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The sources said it will be up to Smith to decide exactly how to unwind the charges and many questions remain unanswered.\u00a0Could the prosecutions resume after Trump leaves office or would they be time-barred?\u00a0What happens to the evidence?\u00a0What about the two other defendants charged with helping Trump hide classified documents?\u00a0Will the special counsel write a report, as special counsels usually do?<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The sources say all those issues require study and research.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">At the same time, Trump\u2019s legal team is weighing its own next steps for how to resolve the outstanding\u00a0federal\u00a0cases in his favor now that he is the projected winner of the election. The ultimate goal is to get all the federal and state\u00a0cases wiped out completely \u2014 the strategic call is how best to accomplish that task, according to a person familiar with the discussions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">If the Trump side, for example, moved again\u00a0in court\u00a0to dismiss the charges in Washington related to election interference, then the Justice Department could use its legal response to explain its position on not moving forward\u00a0with that case.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Trump\u2019s\u00a0New York criminal case presents different challenges with a felony conviction and sentencing hearing scheduled for Nov. 26. The immediate goal\u00a0of Trump\u2019s legal team is to get that postponed indefinitely or otherwise dismissed.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The Georgia election interference case\u00a0against Trump\u00a0remains tied up on appeals over ethical issues surrounding the district attorney. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cThe American people have re-elected President Trump with an overwhelming mandate to Make America Great Again,&#8221; Trump Campaign Spokesman Steven Chung said in a statement. &#8220;It is now abundantly clear that Americans want an immediate end to the weaponization of our justice system, so we can, as President Trump said in his historic speech last night, unify our country and work together for the betterment of our nation.&#8221; <\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__yAWZ0 styles_medium__OMa6x\"><picture class=\"styles_image__1qciH\" data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-04\/240404-jack-smith-2023-ac-721p-17df48.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-04\/240404-jack-smith-2023-ac-721p-17df48.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2024-04\/240404-jack-smith-2023-ac-721p-17df48.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-04\/240404-jack-smith-2023-ac-721p-17df48.jpg 1x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2024-04\/240404-jack-smith-2023-ac-721p-17df48.jpg\" alt=\"Jack Smith speaks\" height=\"1667\" width=\"2500\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__Pe5JC\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">Special counsel Jack Smith in Washington, D.C., in 2023.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Chip Somodevilla \/ Getty Images file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"\">The DOJ\u2019s\u00a0thinking\u00a0on Trump\u2019s federal cases\u00a0flows\u00a0from\u00a0a 2000\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/file\/146241-0\/dl?inline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">memo<\/a>\u00a0by the Justice Department\u2019s Office of Legal Counsel, which affirmed a<strong> <\/strong>Watergate-era conclusion that a prosecution of a sitting president would \u201cunduly interfere in a direct or formal sense with the conduct of the presidency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cIn light of the effect that an indictment would have on the operations of the executive branch, \u2018an impeachment proceeding is the only appropriate way to deal with a President while in office,\u2019\u201d the memo concluded,\u00a0quoting the earlier conclusion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">The practical reality of Trump\u2019s electoral victory Tuesday is that he is unlikely ever to face legal consequences in relation to the serious federal criminal charges brought against him by career Justice Department prosecutors working with career FBI agents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Some commentators\u00a0have said the charges were arguably more serious than the conduct in the Watergate scandal that cost Richard Nixon the presidency and left him banished from politics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">In the case accusing\u00a0Trump\u00a0of conspiring to illegally overturn the 2020 election,\u00a0he\u00a0is charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">In the classified documents case, he is charged with willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, lying to investigators and withholding documents in a federal investigation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cThe idea that you could win an election to avoid justice just cuts so deeply against my expectations for our legal system and for our politics too,\u201d said Joyce Vance, a former U.S. attorney and NBC News contributor. \u201cBut the voters have spoken, and that\u2019s where we are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">She added that it has never been a foregone conclusion that Trump would be convicted \u2014 that would be up to a jury.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cWhat bothers me so deeply\u00a0is\u00a0that he\u2019s avoided the quintessential part of American justice \u2014 letting a jury decide, based on the evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"endmark\"><em>For more on this story, tune in to &#8220;NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt&#8221; tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET\/5:30 p.m. CT or check your local listings.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2024-election\/doj-moving-wind-trump-criminal-cases-takes-office-rcna178930\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Justice Department officials have\u00a0been evaluating how to wind down\u00a0the two federal criminal cases against\u00a0President-elect Donald Trump before he takes office to comply with long-standing department policy that a sitting president &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=122922\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8629],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=122922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122922\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=122922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=122922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=122922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}