Judge Dismisses Jan. 6 Charges Against Donald Trump as Special Counsel Withdraws Cases

A federal judge on Monday dismissed charges against President-elect Donald Trump related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riots after Special Counsel Jack Smith moved to drop the case.

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan cited longstanding Justice Department precedent against indicting a sitting president as the basis for her decision.

Smith’s team also announced it would end its appeal of a Florida judge’s ruling that dismissed a separate classified document case against Trump, once regarded as one of the strongest legal challenges against the former president.

Trump, 78, reacted on Truth Social, calling the cases “empty and lawless” and labelling them a “political hijacking.” He criticised Democrats for wasting “over $100 million of taxpayer dollars” on what he called politically motivated prosecutions.

In a statement, Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung hailed the dismissal as “a major victory for the rule of law,” adding that the American people want an end to the “political weaponization” of the justice system.

Vice President-elect JD Vance remarked that if Trump had lost the 2024 election, “he may very well have spent the rest of his life in prison.”

If Donald J. Trump had lost an election, he may very well have spent the rest of his life in prison.

These prosecutions were always political. Now it's time to ensure what happened to President Trump never happens in this country again. https://t.co/18dB65naNG

— JD Vance (@JDVance) November 25, 2024

Smith had reportedly planned to wrap up the investigations before Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025, when he could potentially fire the special counsel.

The DOJ’s decision follows Trump’s electoral victory, which had led Judge Chutkan to pause proceedings in the Jan. 6 case earlier this month.

The dismissed charges included conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, conspiracy against rights, and conspiracy to defraud the United States.

Trump, the first US president to face criminal charges, had denied all allegations, calling them part of a political “witch hunt.”

Smith’s cases against Trump have faced setbacks since their inception.

A Georgia election interference case and a Manhattan hush-money case remain in legal limbo, while Trump’s sentencing in the Manhattan case has been indefinitely postponed.

The Supreme Court previously ruled that a president has “absolute” immunity for official acts in office, a decision that heavily influenced the Jan. 6 case. With the cases now dismissed, Trump has hinted at potentially using his pardon powers for some Capitol riot participants once he assumes office.