The Ministry of Justice has made Part I public Special Prosecutor Jack Smith final report on his now-closed investigation into newly elected President Donald Trump, days before he is sworn in.
Attorney General Merrick Garland released the first part of Smith’s report, which focuses on the election case against Trump, at midnight Tuesday after back-and-forth in the federal court system.
An opening letter from Smith to Garland said it is “laughable” that Trump believes the Biden administration, or other political actors, influenced or guided his decisions as prosecutor, saying he was guided by the principles of federal prosecution.
“Trump’s cases represented those ‘where the violation (was) most egregious, public harm greatest, and evidence most certain,’” Smith said, referring to the principles.
FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH FROM RELEASING FINAL REPORT
A split image featuring US Attorney General Merrick Garland, President Donald Trump and Special Counsel Jack Smith (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Photo by Rebecca Noble/Getty Images | Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
In the lengthy report, Smith said his office fully supports the decision to file criminal charges against Trump because he “resorted to a series of criminal attempts to maintain power” after losing power. the 2020 elections.
Smith said in his conclusion that the parties were determining whether any material in the “superseding indictment was covered by presidential immunity” when it became clear that Trump had won the 2024 election. The department then ruled that the case should be dismissed before he took office because of the way it interprets the Constitution.
“The Department’s view that the Constitution prohibits the continued indictment and prosecution of a President is categorical and has no bearing on the seriousness of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s evidence, or the merits of the prosecution, where it Desk is completely behind. ,” the report said.
In an early Tuesday morning post on Truth Social, Trump called Smith “desperate” and “deranged” for releasing his “fake findings” in the middle of the night.
COURT OF APPEALS WILL NOT BLOCK PARTIAL RELEASE OF SPECIAL ADVISOR JACK SMITH’S TRUMP REPORT
Garland named former Official of the Ministry of Justice Jack Smith as special counsel in November 2022.
Smith, a former assistant U.S. attorney and head of the DOJ’s public integrity division, led the investigation into Trump’s retention of classified documents after he left the White House and whether the former president supported the federal government’s investigation into the hindered the case.
Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a press conference at the Department of Justice, Tuesday, September 24, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Smith was also tasked with overseeing the investigation into whether Trump or other officials and entities interfered with the peaceful transition of power following the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of the Electoral College vote on January 6, 2021.
Smith sued Trump in both cases, but Trump pleaded not guilty.
The classified documents case was dismissed in July 2024 by U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon for the Southern District of Florida, who ruled that Smith had been unlawfully appointed as special counsel.
Special Counsel Jack Smith recently requested that charges he filed against Trump be dismissed in a case alleging he interfered in the certification of the 2020 election. (Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Smith sued Trump in the US District Court for Washington DC in his 2020 election case, but after Trump was elected president, Smith tried to have the case dismissed. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted that request.
This month, however, Cannon temporarily blocked the publication of Smith’s final report. A federal appeals court reversed its ruling, allowing the Justice Department to make Smith’s report public.
Former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. (Charles Trainor Jr./Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
In the classified records In the investigation, Smith accused Trump of 37 federal charges, including intentional retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements. Trump pleaded not guilty.
This image, included in a Justice Department court filing on August 30, 2022, and partially redacted by the source, shows a photo of documents seized during the August 8 FBI search of the Mar-a- estate Lake of former President Donald Trump. . (Ministry of Justice via AP)
Trump was also charged with three additional charges as part of a superseding indictment from the investigation: an additional charge of intentionally retaining national defense information and two additional obstruction charges.
In the 2020 election case, Smith accused Trump of conspiring to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; violation of official procedure; and conspiracy against rights. Trump pleaded not guilty.
The cases Smith filed against Trump have not gone to trial in either jurisdiction.
Former US President Donald Trump walks at the end of the day to address the press during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 7, 2024 in New York City. (Getty Images)
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Despite efforts by Trump’s lawyers to prevent the report’s disclosure, Attorney General Merrick Garland had insisted he would make at least one part of Smith’s report public.
This is a development story. Check back later for updates.
