A federal judge on Monday approved the U.S. Justice Department’s release of part of former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on President-elect Donald Trump’s alleged 2020 election subversion.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, appointed by Trump in 2020, had previously blocked the full report’s release. She also deferred the Justice Department’s request to allow congressional leaders access to a second section of Smith’s report, which covers Trump’s handling of classified documents. Cannon scheduled an emergency hearing for Friday to address the matter. Trump denies any wrongdoing in both cases.
Attorney General Merrick Garland had stated his intent to release the election subversion section while withholding details about the classified documents case, citing ongoing criminal proceedings against Trump associates Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira. Late Monday, Trump’s lawyers filed to extend a temporary injunction blocking the report’s release, which is set to expire at midnight.
Jack Smith, who resigned as special counsel on January 10, had previously brought two of four criminal cases Trump faced post-presidency. However, both cases stalled. Cannon dismissed the classified documents case, and the U.S. Supreme Court, with three Trump-appointed justices, ruled that former presidents have broad immunity for official acts.
Neither case proceeded to trial, and the Justice Department has since dropped charges against Trump, adhering to its policy against prosecuting sitting presidents.
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