Special counsel Jack Smith has resigned from the Justice Department after submitting his report on President-elect Donald Trump. The move comes as the department grapples with legal wrangling over how much of the document can be made public.
Smith’s resignation follows two unsuccessful criminal prosecutions against Trump, which were withdrawn following his White House win in November. The Justice Department had been expected to release the report, a two-volume document detailing Smith’s investigations into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and his hoarding of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
However, a Trump-appointed judge blocked the report’s release, citing concerns it would be unfairly prejudicial. The Justice Department had argued that the report should be made public, despite the temporary injunction.
In an emergency motion, prosecutors asked the appeals court to lift the injunction and proceed with the report’s release. The appeals court denied the defense bid but left in place the judge’s order, requiring a three-day wait period before the findings could be released.
The Justice Department has taken issue with the judge’s authority, stating that the attorney general has the power to decide whether to release the report. Regulations require special counsels to produce reports at the conclusion of their work, and it is customary for such documents to be made public regardless of the subject.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/trump-special-counsel-jack-smith-investigative-report-4b5c330cbe31c43c40ab9d613e5088ce