WASHINGTON: US prosecutors asked a federal appeals court on Wednesday to pause their bid to revive the criminal case accusing President-elect Donald Trump of illegally handling classified documents, citing his election victory. Special Counsel Jack Smith, in a brief court filing, asked the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to “hold this appeal in abeyance” to allow prosecutors time to assess the impact of Trump’s impending return to the White House on the case. Trump was accused of illegally holding onto classified documents after he left office in 2021. A federal judge appointed to the bench by Trump dismissed the case in July after ruling that Smith was improperly appointed to the special counsel role, prompting prosecutors to appeal. Smith’s prosecutors asked to weigh in by Dec. 2 on how to proceed in the case. They have already secured a similar pause in another federal case accusing Trump of attempting to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election.