Special Counsel Jack Smith plans to resign before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January 2025, aiming to preempt Trump's threat to fire him immediately upon inauguration. Smith is overseeing two federal investigations involving Trump, one concerning the mishandling of classified documents and the other related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and the January 6 Capitol attack. Although Smith intends to finish his work and produce a final report, it remains uncertain if he can conclude these investigations before the Biden administration ends. The Justice Department's policy prohibits prosecuting a sitting president, which complicates the potential for any charges against Trump. Smith's resignation is seen as a strategy to avoid a politically charged environment post-inauguration, especially given the potential for retaliation against those involved in the investigations. His investigations have reportedly cost taxpayers around $50 million.