The step complies with long-standing Justice Department policy that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted, two people familiar with the matter told NBC News.

Summary

With Donald Trump’s re-election, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is preparing to suspend federal criminal cases against him, as longstanding policy bars prosecuting a sitting president.

Special counsel Jack Smith, who previously pressed forward on charges related to January 6 and classified documents, must now consider unwinding these cases.

The DOJ’s stance follows a 2000 memo suggesting impeachment, not prosecution, as the proper recourse for a sitting president.

Trump’s legal team is also strategizing to dismiss or delay other cases, viewing his victory as a mandate to end “weaponization” of the justice system.

  • Asafum@feddit.nl
    231·
    10 hours ago

    “Trump’s legal team is also strategizing to dismiss or delay other cases, viewing his victory as a mandate to end “weaponization” of the justice system.”

    This is the part that pisses me off so fucking much. It’s EXACTLY what they plan on doing and with a complete disregard for the actual law and rubber stamp judges they’re going to fast track prosecution where it took years to move anything related to Trump…

    I expect to see multiple arrests within the first two years as opposed to 4+ years of feet dragging for Trump…

    • grue@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      1 hour ago

      They’re also going to pack SCOTUS and the rest of the Federal judiciary even more. Even if Trump leaves power in four years and even if we still have non-farcical elections by then, we are going to be stuck with an insane, corrupt, Taliban-esque judiciary for decades.