Jack Smith, the special counsel assigned to investigate Donald Trump‘s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, has concluded his tenure at the US Department of Justice.
In a court filing on Saturday, prosecutors revealed that Smith submitted his last confidential report on January 7, 2025, and formally exited the Department on January 10. They conveyed this information to US District Judge Aileen Cannon, urging her not to extend her recent order that prevented the release of Smith’s final report.
This update on Smith’s departure appeared as a footnote in the court filings submitted as Judge Cannon deliberated on whether to continue withholding the special counsel’s report. The report addresses two significant issues: Trump’s involvement in the January 6, 2020, insurrection at the US Capitol, which sought to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s victory, and Trump’s withholding of classified documents after his presidency.
Special counsel Jack Smith, who filed two criminal cases against President-elect Trump, has resigned. His resignation comes as Trump's team tries to block the release of Smith's final report. @NBCAaron has more for #SundayTODAY.https://t.co/kpqxH7KF9l
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 12, 2025As the current hold on the report expires and Judge Cannon contemplates its extension, the intense legal battle over disclosing the investigations related to Trump will likely escalate in the days before his inauguration as America’s 47th president on January 20.
In a late-night post on his Truth Social platform, Trump suggested that the Department of Justice had “fired” Jack Smith, calling him a “disgrace” and denouncing the investigation’s cost, which he referred to as a “Witch Hunt.”
Smith had previously charged Trump with conspiracy to defraud the United States and to obstruct an official proceeding — the Congressional session intended to certify Biden’s electoral win, disrupted by violent actions from Trump’s supporters.
After winning the November presidential election, Smith discontinued the cases against Trump. On January 7, he completed his confidential report to US Attorney General Merrick Garland. The Justice Department recently indicated that Garland intends to release the findings publicly.
Department officials assert that Judge Cannon lacks the authority to prevent the attorney general from making Smith’s report available to the public.
