Attorney General Merrick Garland submitted the report. court filing On Wednesday, he announced his intention to release parts of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on the investigation into Donald Trump in connection with the 2020 election.
“The Attorney General intends to release Title I to Congress and the public pursuant to 28 CFR § 600.9(c) and to further the public interest in informing equal departments and the public about this important issue,” the filing says.
But the filing shows a second report, which includes Smith’s investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents, will not be released to the public as long as Trump’s co-defendants, Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, remain on trial. A warning is included. criminal proceedings.
Trump faces two separate federal charges. The first contained four charges related to an attempt to steal the 2020 election; 40 felonies Regarding mishandling of confidential documents—31 of them Disposal was made under the Espionage Act.
Garland’s court filing comes a day after Trump appointed U.S. District Judge Eileen Cannon. Temporarily blocked Two days after the report was made public, Trump’s lawyers sent an overly complex and convoluted report. letter to the Attorney General threatening legal action if he releases any of the reports.
Cannon tried to dismiss Trump’s classified documents case July. Smith appealed the decision, but moved with All charges against Trump were dismissed, citing a 2000 opinion issued by the Office of General Counsel that argued a sitting president cannot be indicted or prosecuted immediately after the 2024 election.
Unfortunately, Garland’s decision leaves the final decision on whether to release the second report to Trump’s incoming Justice Department.
Considering that Trump’s DOJ would likely dismiss the case against the co-defendants, Smith should have also dismissed the case against the co-defendants, allowing Biden’s DOJ to release the full report for public consumption.
