In a bold move on Monday, President-elect Donald Trump and his former co-defendants in the Florida classified documents case have launched an effort to block the release of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s final report. The report is expected to address both the classified documents case and the election interference case.
The motion, filed by lawyers representing defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, requests U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to prevent Smith from issuing the report. The legal team argued that Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional and cited Judge Cannon’s previous ruling on the matter. They claimed that the report would be one-sided, relying on evidence presented to a grand jury and designed to convince the public of the defendant’s guilt.
The defense team further requested a hearing on the matter and asked for a ruling by Friday, asserting that the release of the report could be imminent.
In a separate action, Trump’s legal team sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging him to stop Smith from releasing the report. The letter accused Smith of being an “out-of-control private citizen unconstitutionally posing as a prosecutor” and claimed that his actions were intended to politically harm Trump. Trump’s attorneys urged Garland to either remove Smith from the case or defer the handling of the report to Trump’s incoming attorney general.
Over the weekend, Trump’s lawyers reviewed a two-volume draft of Smith’s report at the special counsel’s office in Washington, D.C.
Smith’s office is required under Justice Department regulations to provide a confidential report to Garland, who has the discretion to make it public.
In other developments, NBC News reported that Smith and his team are planning to resign before Trump assumes office on January 20.
The Florida case, involving charges of mishandling classified documents after Trump left office, was dismissed by Judge Cannon in July, who ruled that Smith’s appointment was illegal. Trump had pleaded not guilty. Smith appealed the dismissal, but the case was effectively upended by Trump’s election in November, due to the Justice Department’s policy of not prosecuting sitting presidents. The case was ultimately dismissed at Smith’s request after an appeals court ruling.
Similarly, Smith’s election interference case against Trump was also dismissed in November, following Trump’s election win.
Meanwhile, federal prosecutors are continuing to appeal Cannon’s dismissal of the charges against Nauta and De Oliveira.
Reference news :- Trump seeks to block ‘imminent’ release of special counsel Jack Smith’s report
