Special counsel tells court he is assessing future of Trump criminal case

By Katelyn Polantz, CNN

(CNN) — Special counsel Jack Smith could have a decision by December 2 on how to resolve Donald Trump’s criminal case surrounding the events of the 2020 election, he told a federal judge Friday.

He asked federal District Judge Tanya Chutkan to wipe away all deadlines that are upcoming so his office can assess how to move forward as Trump returns to the presidency. Chutkan granted the request.

This is the first step in which Smith is publicly indicating he preparing to wind down the case against Trump.

CNN has reported that the special counsel has already been in active talks with Justice Department senior officials about how to handle the case.

“As a result of the election held on November 5, 2024, the defendant is expected to be certified as President-elect on January 6, 2025, and inaugurated on January 20, 2025. The Government respectfully requests that the Court vacate the remaining deadlines in the pretrial schedule to afford the Government time to assess this unprecedented circumstance and determine the appropriate course going forward consistent with Department of Justice policy,” the prosecutors wrote in a one-page filing.

“By December 2, 2024, the Government will file a status report or otherwise inform the Court of the result of its deliberations,” they added.

House Republicans tell Smith to save records

House Republicans are officially putting Smith on notice now that Trump is heading back to the White House and Republicans have a chance of keeping their majority in the House.

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan and GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk, who is leading the investigation into the former January 6 committee, sent a letter to Smith telling him to preserve his records and comply with their previous requests.

Trump has said multiple times he plans 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.

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