Special counsel who led Trump prosecutions leaves US Justice Dept
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Special counsel Jack Smith was appointed to investigate former US president Donald Trump for his alleged effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON - Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed to investigate Donald Trump for his alleged effort to overturn results of the 2020 election, has left the US Department of Justice, prosecutors said on Jan 11 in a court filing.
“The Special Counsel completed his work and submitted his final confidential report on Jan 7, 2025, and separated from the Department on Jan 10,” officials said, in the document submitted to US District Judge Aileen Cannon, urging her to not extend her order last week blocking the release of Mr Smith’s final report.
The statement on Mr Smith was a footnote in the filing to Judge Cannon as she mulls whether to maintain a hold on the special counsel’s report on two cases: Trump’s role in the Jan 6, 2020, insurrection at the US Capitol aimed at halting certification of Joe Biden’s victory, and the case of Trump’s withholding of classified documents after he left the White House.
With the hold set to expire in the coming days, and Judge Cannon considering an extension, the protracted legal fight over the report on Trump-related cases is coming down to the week or so before he is inaugurated as America’s 47th president on Jan 20.
Trump suggested in a late night post on his Truth Social platform that Mr Smith has been “fired” by the Department of Justice.
“He is a disgrace to himself, his family, and his Country. After spending over $100,000,000 on the Witch Hunt against TRUMP, he left town empty handed!” he wrote.
Mr Smith had accused Trump of conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, the session of Congress called to certify Mr Biden’s election win but which was violently attacked on Jan 6 by a mob of the Republican leader’s supporters.
Mr Smith dropped the cases against Trump after he won November’s presidential election.
On Jan 7, the special counsel finalised his confidential report to US Attorney-General Merrick Garland, and the Justice Department said this week that Mr Garland plans to publicly release the findings.
Department officials have argued that Judge Cannon does not have the power to block the attorney general from releasing Mr Smith’s report. AFP
