US: Special Counsel Who Fought Legal Battle Against Trump Resigns Just Days Ahead Of Presidential Inauguration

Jack Smith, the special counsel who led two prosecutions against US President-elect, has resigned, The New York Times reported. Smith's resignation has come just days before Trump is inaugurated. The inauguration is slated to happen on January 20. NYT reported that Smith's resignation was mentioned in a footnote buried in court papers.

Smith fought hard against Trump's legal team but lost in district court as well as the US Supreme Court.

Trump, soon to be president, has openly stated that he planned to fire and punish Smith.

There was no formal announcement from Smith about his resignation and it has been reported that his spokesperson was tightlipped as well.

Smith's legal actions became moot when Trump was elected as president in November.

A US Justice Department policy forbids prosecution against a sitting president. Due to this, Smith had to drop both cases against Trump which were filed in 2023.

One case, filed in Florida, accused Trump of mishandling secret documents. The second case was filed in Washington and was related to Trump's alleged efforts to overturn result of US Presidential Election 2020.

Jack Smith's final week in office saw him suffer a legal setback as Trump-appointed jurist who presided over the Florida case blocked release of final report at least till Monday.

Aileen M Cannon, the presiding judge said earlier in July that Smith had been unlawfully appointed to his position.