Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the prosecution of former President Donald Trump in two federal cases, was the target of an attempted assault at his Maryland home on Christmas Day.
Ricky Carioti | Washington Post | Getty Images
Special Prosecutor Jack Smith resigned Friday. Ministry of Justice As President-elect Donald Trump and others continue efforts to block Smith’s release, final report About his criminal investigation into the Republican Party.
Mr. Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022. Trump resigned 10 days before he was inaugurated as president.
Smith’s resignation was expected after Trump announced his intention to resign before he took office, and because the president-elect had planned to fire the special counsel if he did not resign.
But the timing was revealed only Saturday in a brief footnote in the Justice Department’s court filing to U.S. District Judge Eileen Cannon of Florida, who was appointed to the court by President Trump.
“The Special Counsel completed his work on January 7, 2025, submitted his final confidential report, and became independent from the Department on January 10,” the filing states.
Justice Department officials urged Cannon not to extend the order he issued last week. temporarily block The agency chose not to make public Smith’s investigation into President Trump’s interference in the 2020 election results.
In a separate criminal case, Mr. Trump’s former co-defendants have asked Mr. Cannon to extend the order and are trying to prevent Mr. Garland from releasing parts of Mr. Smith’s report to lawmakers.
The Justice Department filed an emergency motion late Friday asking a federal appeals court to reverse the order that would have allowed Smith’s report to be released quickly.
Mr. Smith had filed two criminal cases against Mr. Trump.
One was indicted in federal court in Washington, D.C., on charges related to trying to overturn President Joe Biden’s loss in the 2020 election.
Another lawsuit led by Cannon alleges that after leaving the White House in January 2017, Trump kept confidential government records at his home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, and that authorities were unable to access those documents. He was charged with attempting to prevent recovery.
Trump’s valet Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago employee Carlos de Oliveira were also indicted in the case, accused of helping Trump try to hide documents from officials. Ta.
last year’s cannon Mar-a-Lago documents lawsuit against Trump dismissed After ruling that Smith’s appointment as special prosecutor was unconstitutional.
Smith appealed that denial. But the Justice Department ultimately dismissed both criminal cases against Trump after he won the November election, citing the agency’s policy of prosecuting sitting presidents again.
However, the Justice Department is appealing the dismissal of the charges against Mr. Nauta and Mr. de Oliveira.
The Justice Department will not release the portion of Smith’s report that dealt with the Mar-a-Lago case while it appeals the dismissal of the cases against the other two and while subsequent cases are pending. said.
— CNBC’s Dan Mangan contributed to this report.
