Jack Smith, the special counsel responsible for investigating Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, has officially left the US Department of Justice, according to a court filing submitted by prosecutors on Saturday.
The filing confirmed that Smith had completed his work and submitted his final confidential report on January 7, 2025.
He separated from the Department on January 10, 2025.
This information was included in a document sent to US District Judge Aileen Cannon, urging her not to extend her recent order blocking the release of Smith’s final report.
The filing regarding Smith’s departure was part of the ongoing legal battle over whether the special counsel’s report on two key cases related to Trump should be made public.
These cases include Trump’s involvement in the January 6, 2020, Capitol insurrection, which sought to prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s election win, and the investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents after leaving the White House.
As Judge Cannon deliberates on whether to extend the hold on the report, the legal conflict over its release could continue into the days before Biden’s inauguration on January 20, 2025.
In response to Smith’s departure, Trump posted a message on his Truth Social platform, suggesting that Smith had been “fired” by the Justice Department.
He further criticized Smith, calling him “a disgrace to himself, his family, and his country,” and claimed Smith had left “empty-handed” after spending more than $100 million on investigations into Trump.
Smith had accused Trump of conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding related to the January 6 attack.
However, after Trump won the November presidential election, Smith chose to drop the cases.
On January 7, Smith submitted his final confidential report to US Attorney General Merrick Garland, and the Department of Justice has announced that Garland intends to publicly release the findings.
Department officials contend that Judge Cannon lacks the authority to block Garland from making the report public.
