Special counsel Jack Smith resigns
The move was expected ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith has resigned from the Justice Department, officials said in a court filing Saturday.
The move was expected ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.Special counsel Jack Smith resigns
The move was expected ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Jack Smith speaking
Special counsel Jack Smith resigned from the Justice Department on Friday.Al Drago / Bloomberg via Getty Images file
Jan. 12, 2025, 3:26 AM GMT+6 / Updated Jan. 12, 2025, 4:38 AM GMT+6
By Ryan J. Reilly and Megan Lebowitz
WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith has resigned from the Justice Department, officials said in a court filing Saturday.
The move was expected ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Smith’s report on Trump’s alleged involvement in 2020 election interference is expected to be released soon. Trump has denied the allegations.
“The Special Counsel completed his work and submitted his final confidential report on January 7, 2025, and separated from the Department on January 10,” a government court filing said in a footnote.
The footnote was part of a Justice Department filing in which the government asked U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, not to extend a restriction that is temporarily blocking part of Smith’s report from being released.
Trump had been indicted on charges related to allegations that he attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He had entered a not guilty plea before the case was dropped. The federal charges, brought by Smith, were dismissed after Trump was elected in 2024. The Justice Department has a long-standing policy not to prosecute a sitting president.
Smith was appointed in November 2022 by Attorney General Merrick Garland. Garland said at the time that appointing Smith was in “the public interest” because Trump had announced his candidacy and Biden was also planning to run for a second term. Garland, who had been appointed by Biden, said in 2022 that his selection of Smith “underscores the Department’s commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters.”
Smith oversaw investigations into Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, as well as allegations that he mishandled classified documents.
