Justice Department Releases Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Report on Trump Election Interference Case

The Department of Justice released Volume I of Special Prosecutor Jack Smith final report on its now-closed investigations into President-elect Donald Trump, days before he takes office.

Attorney General Merrick Garland released the first volume, which focuses on the election case against Trump, of Smith’s report at midnight Tuesday after back-and-forth in the federal court system.

An opening letter from Smith to Garland said it is “laughable” that Trump believes the Biden administration, or other political actors, influenced or directed his decisions as a prosecutor, claiming he was guided by the U.S. Attorney’s Principles.

“The Trump cases represented those ‘in which the crime (was) the most egregious, the public harm the greatest, and the evidence the surest,'” Smith said, referring to the principles.

FEDERAL JUDGE PREVENTS SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH FROM PUBLISHING FINAL REPORT

In the lengthy report, Smith said his office fully supports the decision to file criminal charges against Trump because he “resorted to a series of criminal efforts to retain power” after losing. the 2020 elections.

Smith said in his conclusion that the parties were determining whether any material in the “superseding indictment was subject to presidential immunity” when it became clear that Trump had won the 2024 election. The department then determined that the case should be dismissed before take office because of the way he interprets the Constitution.

“The Department’s view that the Constitution prohibits further impeachment and prosecution of a president is categorical and does not depend on the seriousness of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s evidence, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Bureau fully supports.” , says the report.

In a Tuesday morning post on Truth Social, Trump called Smith “desperate” and “deranged” for publishing his “false findings” in the middle of the night.

APPEALS COURT WILL NOT BLOCK PARTIAL RELEASE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S TRUMP REPORT

Garland named former Justice Department official Jack Smith as special prosecutor in November 2022.

Smith, a former assistant U.S. attorney and head of the Justice Department’s public integrity section, led the investigation into Trump’s withholding of classified documents after leaving the White House and whether the former president obstructed the federal government’s investigation into the matter. .

Smith was also tasked with overseeing the investigation into whether Trump or other officials and entities interfered with the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of the Electoral College vote on January 6, 2021.

Smith accused Trump in both cases, but Trump pleaded not guilty.

FLASHBACK: ATTORNEY GENERAL GARLAND APPOINTS SPECIAL COUNSEL TO INVESTIGATE TRUMP OVER MAR-A-LAGO DOCUMENTS, JAN. 6

The classified records case was dismissed in July 2024 by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen Cannon, who ruled that Smith was unlawfully appointed as a special prosecutor.

Smith charged Trump in the US District Court for Washington DC in his 2020 election case, but after Trump was elected president, Smith attempted to dismiss the case. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted that request.

FLASHBACK: TRUMP SAYS HE WILL ‘NOT PARTICIPATE’ IN SPECIAL COUNSEL’S INVESTIGATION, RATING IT AS ‘THE WORST POLITIZATION OF JUSTICE’

This month, however, Cannon temporarily blocked the release of Smith’s final report. TO federal appeals court reversed his ruling, allowing the Justice Department to make Smith’s report public.

In it classified records In the investigation, Smith charged Trump with 37 federal charges, including willful withholding of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements. Trump pleaded not guilty.

FLASHBACK: FBI SAID IT HAD ‘PROBABLE CAUSE’ TO BELIEVE ADDITIONAL CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS REMAINED AT MAR-A-LAGO, AFFIDAVIT SAYS

Trump was also charged with three additional counts as part of a superseding indictment outside the investigation: one additional count of willful withholding of national defense information and two additional counts of obstruction.

In the 2020 election case, Smith accused Trump of conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; violation of official procedure; and conspiracy against rights. Trump pleaded not guilty.

The cases brought by Smith against Trump never went to trial in either jurisdiction.

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Despite efforts by Trump’s lawyers to block the report’s release, Attorney General Merrick Garland had maintained that he would release at least one volume of Smith’s report.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.