Special Counsel Jack Smith plans to finish his work and resign before President Trump likely fires him when he takes office in January.

The federal-level prosecutor has been drawing up a plan to end both cases with the goal of not leaving without finishing up his work, people familiar with his plans tell the New York Times. Mr. Smith is trying to get out in front of Trump’s promise to fire him within “two seconds” of being sworn in. He has already told prosecutors and federal agents on his team that they should start planning for their departures.

“Unforeseen circumstances,” like “judicial rulings or decisions by other government officials,” could throw a wrench in Mr. Smith’s intended timeline, the Times reports. Still, he is set on ensuring his work is done on both cases, one involving classified documents kept by Trump at his home in Mar-a-Lago and another related to his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The Special Counsel must produce a report summarizing his findings and conclusion.

The former war crimes prosecutor has become the target of many pro-Trump Republicans who say he’s the embodiment of the Democrats’ efforts to weaponize the Department of Justice to go after Trump. 

Last week, GOP lawmakers told Justice Department officials who had worked on the two cases to hold on to all of their communications with investigators. At the same time, Mr. Smith’s team filed a motion with the court to pause filing deadlines for the conspiracy case for a month — a move seen as the first step to wind down his prosecution plans. A federal judge in Florida had already dismissed the documents case, which is currently being appealed in federal court.

The special counsel said in his filing that he needed the extra time “to assess this unprecedented circumstance and determine the appropriate course going forward consistent with Department of Justice policy.”