Special counsel drops election subversion case against Trump

WASHINGTON - US Special Counsel Jack Smith who indicted former president Donald Trump for election subversion and mishandling classified documents sought to drop both cases against the president-elect on Monday.

The election subversion case was formally dismissed without prejudice by US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington, D.C., following a court filing from Smith requesting the case's dismissal.

The classified documents case was dismissed in July by US District Court Judge Aileen Cannon in Florida. Smith planned to appeal the ruling at the time.

Smith said in Monday's court filings that his decision to drop the election subversion case was based on the Constitution's requirement that "this case be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated".

"The Government's position on the merits of the defendant's prosecution has not changed," Smith said.

The indictments of Trump -- over his effort to overturn his 2020 election loss and his alleged illegal possession of national defense documents after stepping down from the presidency -- marked an unprecedented chapter in US history.

Trump has vowed to fire Smith after returning to the White House.

Trump's spokesperson Steven Cheung in a statement called the cases' dismissal "a major victory for the rule of law", saying that the American people and Trump want an immediate end to the political weaponization of the US justice system.