Federal Judge Blocks Release of Second Volume of Jack Smith’s Report on Trump Investigation
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the release of the second volume of former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on his investigation into President Trump. The first volume was allowed to be released to a small group within Congress, but Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that releasing the second volume would pose a “substantial and unacceptable risk of prejudice to Defendants.”
The second volume relates to the classified documents investigation, while the first volume dealt with alleged election interference by Trump. Trump’s co-defendants, Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, had filed motions to block the release of both volumes, and Cannon ruled against them for the first volume last week.
It is customary for special counsels to release a final report detailing the findings of their investigation and explaining any prosecution or declination decisions. However, in Smith’s case, the prosecution decision is immaterial given Trump’s status as president and long-standing Justice Department policy against bringing criminal charges against a sitting president.
Trump has blasted Smith’s work as a “fake report.” Attorney General Merrick Garland has opted to release the reports from two other special counsels whose investigations concluded during his tenure, but Judge Cannon’s ruling blocks the release of the second volume of Smith’s report.