**Washington, D.C.** — Special counsel Jack Smith has officially resigned from the Justice Department after submitting his investigative findings regarding President-elect Donald Trump. This anticipated resignation comes amid ongoing legal discussions about the public release of Smith’s report.
According to a court filing from the Justice Department, Smith’s resignation took effect on Friday, just ten days before Trump’s inauguration. This follows two previous criminal cases against Trump that were abandoned after his November victory.
The central issue now focuses on a comprehensive two-volume report that Smith and his team completed, detailing investigations into Trump’s attempts to challenge the results of the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Initially, the Justice Department planned to release the document before the end of the Biden administration. However, a judge appointed by Trump issued a ruling to temporarily block its release. Two of Trump’s associates, involved in the classified documents case, contended that public disclosure would prejudice their defense, a claim supported by Trump’s legal team.
In response, the Justice Department stated it would withhold the classified documents report until ongoing criminal cases against those associates are resolved. Although Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case last July, an appeal regarding the two co-defendants continues.
Nevertheless, prosecutors affirmed their intention to move forward with the release of the election interference report.
In an urgent motion filed late Friday, they requested the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals expedite the lifting of Cannon’s injunction preventing any part of the report from being released. They also informed Cannon that she lacked the authority to block this release, prompting her to request an additional brief from prosecutors by Sunday.
On Thursday night, the appeals court rejected an emergency request from Trump’s defense team to stop the release of the election interference report, which addresses Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results before the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. However, the court upheld Cannon’s injunction, delaying any findings from being released until three days after the appeal is resolved.
The Justice Department contended that Cannon’s ruling was fundamentally flawed. They stated, “The Attorney General, as the Senate-confirmed leader of the Justice Department, possesses the authority to oversee and determine the release of investigative reports prepared by his team.”
Standard regulations mandate that special counsels produce reports upon completion of their investigations, with public release being customary regardless of context.
Former Attorney General William Barr released a special counsel report on Russian interference in the 2016 election and its potential links to the Trump campaign. Similarly, current Attorney General Merrick Garland has made special counsel reports public, including those associated with the handling of classified information prior to Biden’s presidency.
