William Brangham:
Welcome to the “News Hour.”
The two federal felony criminal cases against president-elect Donald Trump are being dropped. Special counsel Jack Smith filed motions today to end the case, charging Trump with illegally holding classified documents and the other for his efforts to unlawfully overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Smith defended the evidence in both cases and the decision to prosecute, but said today’s expected move hinged on a longstanding Justice Department policy that a sitting president cannot face criminal prosecution. Smith left open the possibility the cases could be reopened when Trump leaves office.
Trump lauded today’s move, writing, the cases were — quote — “empty and lawless.”
Meanwhile the president-elect continues to round out his Cabinet, including some key economic appointments. He’s chosen billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary. And, for Commerce, he’s chosen Howard Lutnick, the CEO of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald and a big backer of tariffs.
For more on what these choices mean for Trump’s agenda, we are joined again by David Wessel. He’s the director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at the Brookings Institution.
David, so nice to see you again.
