In a dramatic twist, President-elect Donald Trump and his co-defendants in the Florida classified documents case are fighting back against the release of a final report by special counsel Jack Smith. This report also tackles the election interference case, and both of these cases have been dismissed.
Here’s what’s happening: On Monday night, lawyers for Trump’s co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, filed a motion to block Smith from issuing his final report. They argue that Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional, citing a previous ruling by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon. According to their lawyers, the report would be biased, aiming only to sway the public into thinking everyone Smith charged is guilty.
In their motion, they asked Judge Cannon to hold a hearing and decide whether to block the report by Friday. They believe the release of the report is just around the corner.
Meanwhile, Trump’s legal team isn’t staying silent. They sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, urging him to prevent Smith from releasing the report. The letter calls Smith “out-of-control” and accuses him of using his position to politically damage Trump. They demand Garland remove Smith from his post, and if not, let the incoming Attorney General handle the report instead.
Trump’s lawyers also revealed that they had reviewed a two-volume draft of Smith’s report over the weekend at the special counsel’s office in Washington, D.C.
So, what’s the deal with the report? Well, under Justice Department regulations, Smith is required to submit a confidential report to Garland, who has the option to make it public. As of now, there’s no word from the Justice Department on the matter.
In the midst of all this, NBC News reported that Smith and his team plan to resign before Trump takes office on January 20.
To give you some background, the Florida case involved Trump mishandling classified documents after leaving office. In July, Judge Cannon dismissed the case, declaring Smith’s appointment illegal. Trump had pleaded not guilty. However, after Trump’s election in November, the Justice Department decided not to prosecute sitting presidents. The case was dismissed, and an appeals court later agreed with Smith’s request to drop the charges.
On top of that, Smith had to wind down the election interference case after Trump was indicted in 2023 for attempting to overturn the 2020 election results. A judge agreed to dismiss that case in November, again at Smith’s request.
And though the cases against Trump have been dismissed, federal prosecutors are still pushing to appeal Cannon’s dismissal of the charges against Nauta and De Oliveira.
So, will the final report see the light of day? Stay tuned, as this legal drama unfolds.
