Donald Trump is seeking to block the public release of a report by special counsel Jack Smith, which summarizes 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, had both cases dismissed following his victory in the November presidential election. However, Smith has been preparing a final report for Attorney General Merrick Garland detailing his findings.
In a letter to Garland on January 6, Trump’s attorneys requested that Smith “terminate all efforts toward the preparation and release” of the report. The letter argued, “Rather than acknowledging, as he must, President Trump’s complete exoneration, Smith now seeks to disseminate an extrajudicial ‘Final Report’ to perpetuate his false and discredited accusations.” The attorneys also described the report’s release as “unlawful, undertaken in bad faith, and contrary to the public interest,” calling it “nothing more than a lawless political stunt, designed to politically harm President Trump.”
Two of the attorneys who signed the letter, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, are set to hold high-ranking positions in Trump’s incoming Justice Department following his inauguration as the 47th U.S. president on January 20.
In a court filing on January 7, Smith clarified that his office is preparing a two-volume confidential report outlining the prosecution decisions made during the investigation. He stated, “The Attorney General will decide whether any portion of the report should be released to the public.” Last year, Garland authorized the release of a report by special counsel Robert Hur regarding Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents. While Hur did not charge Biden, the report controversially described him as an “elderly man with a poor memory.”
Trump was previously charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, and attempting to disenfranchise voters by promoting false claims that he won the 2020 election. These charges were tied to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, which sought to disrupt the certification of Biden’s victory.
Trump also faces state-level cases. In New York, he was convicted in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Sentencing in that case is scheduled for Friday, although Judge Juan Merchan has indicated that he is unlikely to impose jail time. In Georgia, Trump faces racketeering charges over efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, but those proceedings are expected to be paused during his presidency.
