US President Donald Trump | FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse
WASHINGTON — The US Justice Department fired a number of officials on Monday who were involved in the criminal prosecutions of President Donald Trump.
“Acting attorney general James McHenry made this decision because he did not believe these officials could be trusted to faithfully implement the president’s agenda because of their significant role in prosecuting the president,” a Justice Department official said.
www lodi777 com Article continues after this advertisementThe official did not specify now many people had their employment terminated, but US media outlets said it was more than a dozen and several were career prosecutors with the Justice Department.
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Special Counsel Jack Smith, who brought two federal cases against Trump, resigned earlier this month.
Article continues after this advertisementSmith charged Trump with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election and mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House.
Article continues after this advertisementNeither case came to trial and Smith — in line with a long-standing Justice Department policy of not prosecuting a sitting president — dropped them both after the Republican won November’s presidential election.
Article continues after this advertisementREAD: Trump administration directs all federal diversity, equity, inclusion staff be put on leave
The firing of the Justice Department officials involved in prosecuting Trump was not unexpected.
Article continues after this advertisementTrump had vowed before the election to fire Smith “on day one” and accused the Justice Department under Democratic president Joe Biden of conducting a “political witchhunt” against him.
In his inauguration speech, Trump said he would end the “vicious, violent, and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department and our government.”
The benchmark PSEi fell by 1.50 percent, or 112.73 points, to close at 7,424.52 while the broader All-Shares index slipped by 1.08 percent, or 44.05 points, to settle at 4,033.36.
Speaking to reporters, ADB country director for the Philippines Pavit Ramachandran said the Manila-based multilateral lender was targeting to green-light the first round of financing under a multi-tranche loan to bankroll the Laguna Lakeshore Road Network project later this year.
In his final report, Smith said Trump would have been convicted for his “criminal efforts” to retain power after the 2020 election if the case had not been dropped.
Trump was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding — the session of Congress held to certify Biden’s win that was violently attacked on January 6, 2021 by a mob of Trump supporters.
Smith also prepared a report into Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents but it is being withheld because charges are pending against two of his former co-defendants.
Trump faces separate racketeering charges in Georgia over his efforts to subvert the election results in the southern state, but the case will likely be frozen while he is in office.
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Trump was convicted in New York in May of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to a porn star. The judge who presided over the case gave him an “unconditional discharge” which carries no jail timesure win ph, fine or probation.
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