Justice officials in talks to drop Trump criminal cases

The US Department of Justice is in talks with the office of special counsel Jack Smith over winding down the two federal cases he is overseeing against president-elect Donald Trump, according to US media reports.

Last year, Mr Smith brought charges against Trump over the alleged mishandling of classified documents and his suspected role in attempting to thwart the transfer of power after the 2020 presiden­tial election.

But the justice department has a long-standing policy that sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted – which would apply when Trump returns to office in January.

Trump said during the election campaign that he would fire Mr Smith “within two seconds” if he was returned to office.

Deciding not to continue with the federal cases before Trump’s inauguration in January would also avoid a showdown between the incoming president and the justice department, the Associated Press reported.

Mr Smith was appointed by At­torney General Merrick Garland in November 2022.

The two indictments brought by Mr Smith accuse Trump of con­spiracy to reverse the 2020 elec­tion results in the run-up to the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot, and with retaining top secret records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and obstructing FBI efforts to recover them. —BBC