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.