The Department of Justice is seeking a quick reversal of a court order blocking the release of special counsel Jack Smith's report on Donald Trump's actions during the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents.
The Justice Department has requested a federal appeals court to expedite the reversal of a judge's order that prevented the release of any portion of special counsel Jack Smith's investigative report on President-elect Donald Trump . This urgent motion follows a legal dispute regarding the public disclosure of the report before Trump's inauguration on January 20.
Concerns exist that the incoming Trump administration, with members of his legal team in key positions, might hinder the report's release. In a separate filing, the department revealed that Smith resigned on Friday after submitting his Trump report to the attorney general. This move was anticipated. The department aims to release, within days, one volume of the two-part report focusing on Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Another volume, concerning Trump's retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort, will remain confidential until criminal proceedings against two of his co-defendants are concluded. Both investigations resulted in indictments against Trump, though Smith's team discontinued both cases in November after Trump's electoral victory. Smith cited Justice Department policy prohibiting federal prosecution of a sitting president. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta rejected an emergency defense request Thursday to block the release of the election interference report, which covers Trump's actions before the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot to challenge the 2020 election results. The appeals court maintained a restraining order issued by a Trump-appointed lower court judge, Aileen Cannon, which stipulated that no findings could be released until three days after the appeals court's decision. Attorneys for Trump's co-defendants in the classified documents case, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, then urged Cannon to extend her injunction and hold a hearing on their request to halt the report's release. The Justice Department responded late Friday by petitioning the appeals court to immediately lift Cannon's injunction, arguing that it impedes the Attorney General's authority to supervise and release reports by DOJ personnel. The department emphasized that the injunction also prevents the sharing of the classified documents report with House and Senate Judiciary committee leaders. Historically, special counsel reports are customary made public, regardless of their subject matter. William Barr, Attorney General during Trump's first term, released a special counsel report examining Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential links to the Trump campaign. Merrick Garland, Attorney General under Biden, has also released special counsel reports, including one regarding Biden's handling of classified information before his presidency
DONALD TRUMP JUSTICE DEPARTMENT JACK SMITH ELECTION INTERFERENCE CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS SPECIAL COUNSEL REPORT
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