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 Counsel Jack Smith resigned from the Justice Department on Friday as President-elect Donald Trump and others continue their efforts to block the release of the final report on Smith’s criminal investigation into the Republican Party.
Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022 and resigned 10 days before President Trump was inaugurated.
Smith’s resignation was expected because he announced his intention to resign before Trump 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 have asked Cannon not to extend an order he issued last week, which temporarily prevents the department from releasing Smith’s investigation into Trump’s interference in the 2020 election results. is hindered by.
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.
Mr. Cannon ruled last year that Mr. Smith’s appointment as special counsel was unconstitutional and dismissed the Mar-a-Lago documents case against Mr. Trump.
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.