The Justice Department announced Wednesday in a court filing that Attorney General Merrick Garland intends to release Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on President-elect Donald Trump’s alleged felony criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election.
According to the filing, the Department of Justice has sent Smith’s final report to Garland.
The first volume of the report focuses on the Special Counsel’s prosecution of Trump for felony charges stemming from efforts to overturn President Joe Biden’s legal 2020 election.
“The attorney general intends to release Volume One to Congress and the public,” the court filing stated.
According to the filing, the report is being released “in furtherance of the public interest in informing a co-equal branch and the public regarding this significant matter.”
To protect the rights of Trump co-defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, Volume Two of the Special Counsel report will not be made public, according to the filing.
The chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees will be able to review the report in camera.
In its filing, the Justice Department requested that the appeals court “make clear that there is no impediment to the attorney general” publicly releasing Volume One.
The filing also asks the court to clarify that there is no impediment to the attorney general “allowing for limited congressional review of Volume Two.”
The Justice Department stated in the 11th Circuit filing that the court should overturn Judge Eileen Cannon’s temporary injunction preventing the release of the Special Counsel report.
Cannon was chastised for allegedly lacking a legitimate legal basis for her decision to dismiss charges against Trump based on her belief that Special Counsel Jack Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional. Some of her pro-Trump decisions were overturned on appeal.
The Wednesday filing was in response to a motion filed by Trump co-defendants Nauta and De Oliveira to legally prevent the release of the Special Counsel reports.
Garland intends to release only the volume containing Trump’s alleged plans to undermine the legal transfer of presidential power following the 2020 election.
Nauta is Trump’s valet. De Oliveira is a Trump Property Manager.
Because Garland refuses to release the report on Trump’s felony charges for allegedly illegal possession, it is unlikely that the report will ever be made public.
When Trump is elected president, he will have control over the Justice Department.
He has vowed to dismiss the cases against him and has stated that he will pardon his supporters convicted of crimes related to the violent Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol by a pro-Trump mob attempting to obstruct the transfer of presidential authority.
