Here in the United States, special counsel Jack Smith has dropped all federal charges against Donald Trump for illegally retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate and for attempting to overthrow the 2020 election. In a six-page motion, Smith wrote that the Justice Department cannot prosecute a sitting president. He added, “That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind.” Smith asked to dismiss the charges “without prejudice,” leaving the door open to a future prosecution of Trump after he leaves office in January 2029. Smith asked that the classified documents case against Trump’s co-defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira be allowed to continue. A Washington Post investigation in 2023 found Attorney General Merrick Garland allowed more than a year to pass before prosecutors and FBI agents jointly embarked on a formal probe of Trump’s efforts to steal the 2020 election.