Federal judge blocks Special Counsel Jack Smith from releasing final report

Former Trump co-defendants, Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, have successfully blocked Special Counsel Jack Smith from releasing his final report on the now-suspended investigations into President-elect Trump’s alleged interference in the 2020 election and improper retention of classified records.

U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Florida, Aileen Cannon, ruled in favor of Nauta and De Oliveira to prevent irreparable harm. The judge issued a temporary injunction prohibiting Smith from releasing, sharing, or transmitting the report outside the Department of Justice until a resolution is announced by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

Smith’s final report, which is customary for special counsels to release, would detail the findings of his investigation and any prosecution decisions reached. However, in this case, the prosecution decision is irrelevant due to Trump’s status as president-elect and the Justice Department’s policy against bringing charges against a sitting president.

Attorney General Merrick Garland’s office would typically review the report first before its release. Nauta and De Oliveira, who were charged with obstructing the FBI investigation into classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago, pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.

Smith was appointed by Garland in 2022 to investigate allegations of election interference by Trump and his allies, as well as the retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. However, Judge Cannon dismissed the case against Trump related to the classified records, ruling that Smith was appointed unlawfully. In a separate case, federal Judge Tanya Chutkan dropped the charges against Trump in the election interference case.

Reacting to the judge’s decision to block his report, Trump criticized Smith, calling him “deranged” and claiming that the investigation was fake. Trump stated that Smith was “thrown off the case in disgrace” and expressed relief that a “fake report” would not be released.

Garland has previously released reports from other special counsels, including John Durham and Robert Hur. Durham was tasked with reviewing the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, while Hur investigated President Biden’s handling of classified documents.

In conclusion, the temporary injunction prevents the release of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report, pending further legal proceedings. The decision highlights the ongoing legal battles surrounding the investigations into Trump’s alleged actions during the 2020 election and his retention of classified records.