The attorney who spearheaded the prosecution against Trump resigned and left the US

 Jack Smith, the special counsel responsible for the prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump, has resigned and left the country prior to Trump's inauguration on January 20. 

Official statements submitted to US District Judge Aileen Cannon indicate that Smith completed his work and filed his final confidential report on January 7, before officially departing from the Department of Justice on January 10. 

Smith's investigations focused on allegations of Trump's mishandling of classified documents post-presidency and his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. Appointed in November 2022, Smith, a former war crimes prosecutor, was tasked with overseeing the Justice Department's inquiries into these matters. 

However, following Trump's victory in the November 5 election, Smith moved to dismiss the cases, referencing a Justice Department policy against prosecuting sitting presidents. 

While his legal team sought to have the charges dropped, they acknowledged the legitimacy of the cases but argued that they could not proceed due to Trump's impending return to office. 

This development effectively undermines the charges against Trump, enabling him to assume the presidency without facing legal consequences. Trump had previously indicated intentions to dismiss Smith upon taking office for his second term.