Well, it now appears as though Special Counsel Jack Smith has decided to stand down.
Smith has just requested that the appeal in the classified documents case be paused.
This appears to be Smith getting one step closer to dropping all charges against Donald Trump.
Let It Go
Smith has already paused all the deadlines in the January 6 case, so this was not necessarily a surprise.
Honestly, I thought Smith would shelve both cases solely for the purpose of forcing Trump’s hand.
If Smith decided to put the cases on hold until Trump’s term was over, my guess is that Trump’s AG would fire Smith.
If that happened, Dems would immediately move to impeach Trump and his Attorney General.
If they could do it now, they would hold off until after the 2026 elections in the hopes of retaking the House so they could push through the impeachment.
If Smith drops the cases, it avoids that mess and allows Trump to move forward without the pressure of these federal cases hanging over his head.
This would also put pressure on the state prosecutors to drop their cases, well, at least Fani Will in Fulton County.
The other case has already concluded, but Judge Merchan could vacate the verdict and end it, and there is speculation that he is considering doing just that. We will find out soon enough because sentencing for that trial is scheduled for later this month.
In Smith’s filing, he stated this pause will allow “the Government time to assess this unprecedented circumstance and determine the appropriate course going forward consistent with Department of Justice policy.”
The next deadline for the case is December 2, which is when legal experts believe that Smith will announce all charges have been dropped, then it is just a matter of the two state cases against Trump.
