Trump seeks to block public release of report on his dropped charges

Donald Trump is attempting to block the public release of a report by special counsel Jack Smith summarizing the investigation that led to criminal charges against him. Trump, accused of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results and mishandling classified documents after leaving office, saw both cases dismissed after his victory in the November presidential election. Smith, however, has been preparing a final report for Attorney General Merrick Garland detailing his findings.

Trump’s attorneys, in a letter to Garland on Monday, January 6, demanded that Smith “terminate all efforts toward the preparation and release” of the report. They stated, “Rather than acknowledging, as he must, President Trump’s complete exoneration, Smith now seeks to disseminate an extrajudicial ‘Final Report’ to perpetuate his false and discredited accusations.” The letter further described the release of the report as “unlawful, undertaken in bad faith, and contrary to the public interest,” adding that it would be “nothing more than a lawless political stunt, designed to politically harm President Trump.”

Two of the attorneys who signed the letter, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, have been selected for high-ranking positions in Trump’s incoming Justice Department following his inauguration as the 47th U.S. president on January 20.

In a court filing on Tuesday, January 7, Smith clarified that his office was working on a two-volume confidential report explaining the prosecution decisions made during the investigation. Smith stated, “The Attorney General will decide whether any portion of the report should be released to the public.” Last year, Garland authorized the public release of a report by special counsel Robert Hur on Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents. While Hur declined to charge Biden, the report controversially described him as an “elderly man with a poor memory.”

Trump was previously charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, and attempting to disenfranchise voters by promoting false claims that he won the 2020 election. The charges were connected to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot aimed at disrupting Congress’s certification of Biden’s victory.

Additionally, Trump has faced state-level cases. In New York, he was convicted in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Sentencing in that case is scheduled for Friday, though Judge Juan Merchan has indicated he is unlikely to impose jail time. In Georgia, Trump faces racketeering charges over efforts to subvert the 2020 election results, but those proceedings are expected to be paused while he is in office.