CNN –
Special Counsel Jack Smith may make a decision by Dec. 2 on how to resolve Donald Trump’s criminal case surrounding the events of the 2020 election, a federal judge said Friday.
He asked Federal District Judge Tanya Chutkan to clear all upcoming deadlines so his office can evaluate how to proceed with Trump’s return to the presidency. Chutkan granted the request.
This is the first step in which Smith has publicly indicated that he is preparing to end the case against Trump.
CNN reported that the special counsel has already been in active conversations with senior officials at the Department of Justice about how to handle the case.
“As a result of the elections held on November 5, 2024, it is expected that the Respondent will be certified as President-elect on January 6, 2025, and be inaugurated on January 20, 2025. The Government respectfully requests that the Court vacate the remaining deadlines.” “In a pretrial docket to allow the government time to evaluate this unprecedented circumstance and determine the appropriate path forward consistent with Department of Justice policy,” prosecutors wrote in a one-page filing.
“By December 2, 2024, the government will submit a status report or inform the court of the outcome of its deliberations,” they added.
House Republicans are officially informing Smith now that Trump is back in the White House and that Republicans have a chance to maintain their majority in the House.
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan and Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk, who is leading the investigation into the previous Jan. 6 panel, sent a letter to Smith asking him to preserve his records and comply with their previous requests.
Trump has said multiple times that he intends to fire Smith and end the federal cases against him for trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election and mishandling classified documents.
CNN’s Annie Grayer contributed to this report.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
