Special counsel Jack Smith presented a motion on Monday to withdraw the four felony charges against US President-elect Donald Trump in connection with his effort to overturn his 2020 presidential election.

The special counsel had already asked the court to pause the prosecution, but today, he asked US District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan to dismiss the case without prejudice, acknowledging that Department of Justice policy prohibits prosecuting a sitting president.

With Trump's victory, the case becomes problematic because the DoJ's policy is that criminal indictment or prosecution of a sitting president would unconstitutionally undermine the executive branch's ability to perform its mandated functions. The move also anticipates other controversial reactions, as legal experts have alerted that, once in office, Trump could pardon himself and fire the entire team that worked for Jack Smith.