Donald Trump is working to block the public release of a report by special counsel Jack Smith, which summarises the investigation that led to criminal charges against him. Trump, who faced accusations of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results and mishandling classified documents after leaving office, saw both cases dismissed following his victory in the November presidential election. Despite the dismissals, Smith has been preparing a final report for Attorney General Merrick Garland detailing his findings.
In a letter sent to Garland on Monday, January 6, Trump’s legal team demanded that Smith halt the preparation and release of the report. The letter stated, “Rather than acknowledging President Trump’s complete exoneration, Smith seeks to distribute an extrajudicial ‘Final Report’ to sustain his false and discredited accusations.” The attorneys described the report’s release as “unlawful, undertaken in bad faith, and contrary to the public interest,” labelling it a “political stunt” aimed at harming Trump.
Two of the attorneys behind the letter, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, are set to assume senior roles in Trump’s incoming Justice Department after his inauguration as the 47th U.S. president on January 20.
In a court filing on Tuesday, January 7, Smith explained that his office is preparing a two-volume confidential report outlining the decisions made during the investigation. He stated that the Attorney General would determine whether any part of the report would be made public. Last year, Garland authorised the release of a similar report by special counsel Robert Hur, which examined Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents. While Hur declined to charge Biden, the report controversially described him as “an elderly man with a poor memory.”
Trump had previously been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, and attempting to disenfranchise voters through false claims of winning the 2020 election. These charges were tied to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, which aimed to disrupt Congress’s certification of Biden’s victory.
Trump also faces legal challenges at the state level. In New York, he was convicted in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Sentencing is set for Friday, though Judge Juan Merchan has indicated jail time is unlikely. Meanwhile, in Georgia, Trump faces racketeering charges related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, though those proceedings are expected to be paused during his time in office.
