Donald Trump probe ends: Special Counsel Jack Smith resigns from Justice Department ahead of inauguration

Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed to investigate United States President-elect Donald Trump for his alleged attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 elections, has left the US Department of Justice (DoJ), prosecutors said on January 11in a court filing, Bloomberg reported. His resignation comes ahead of Trump's inauguration for a second term on January 20.

Smith resigned as the special counsel overseeing federal criminal investigations into Trump and has “separated” from the DoJ, the court filing showed. This was also confirmed on January 10, amid the department's efforts to fight effort by two of Trump’s former co-defendants to stop Smith’s final report on investigations from being released, the report added.

Investigation, Classified Documents & More…

Smith was probing Trump's role in undermining the 2020 presidential election results and his possession of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida home where he moved after leaving the White House in 2021, as per the report.

Smith was appointed to the task in November 2022 by Attorney General Merrick Garland after Trump nnounced he would stand for re-election in the 2024 US elections. His team brought two indictments against Trump, but neither case made it to trial, it added.

Smith dropped both cases after Trump won in November, citing the DoJ’s long-standing policy against prosecuting sitting presidents.

Status on Public Report Of Findings

The DoJ had previously disclosed that Smith submitted his finished report to Garland on January 7, who intends to release the first volume — on Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. 

The second volume on Trump’s handling of classified documents will be shared with several senior members of Congress but won’t make it public given the pending criminal case that remains against Trump’s associates, Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, as per the report.

Nauta and De Oliveira, with Trump’s support even though he’s no longer formally involved in the documents case, have been urging judges to block any part of the report from being released.

(With inputs from Bloomberg)