Jack Smith resigns from DOJ after overseeing investigations into President-elect Trump

Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY
Updated ·2 min read

Special counsel Jack Smith resigned from the Justice Department on Friday, according to a court filing submitted Saturday to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon of Florida.

He was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022 to take over two investigations into President-elect Donald Trump.

Smith had previously indicated his intention to leave before Trump took office on Jan. 20. The president-elect had said he would fire Smith.

Judge Cannon had temporarily barred Garland from releasing Smith's report on the investigation of Trump until after she has a chance to consider arguments about the reports on charges Smith brought against Trump but have since been dismissed. On Thursday evening the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the portion of Smith's report on Trump's alleged efforts to steal the 2020 election could be released.

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Previously: DOJ says judge was 'plainly' wrong to block Trump election interference report

Smith's report would provide the fullest description yet of the investigation that led to two federal indictments against Trump, one for allegedly conspiring to overturn the 2020 election and the other for allegedly mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House. Those charges have been dropped since Trump's election, per Justice Department policy not to prosecute a sitting president.

Garland said that he will only release the portion of the report dealing with the election subversion case, as Trump's codefendants in the classified documents case still face charges.

Trump welcomed Cannon's decision about what he called a "fake report" by noting that Cannon had dismissed the charges by ruling that Smith was appointed and funded illegitimately. He called the investigation a "witch hunt" and Smith "deranged" and a "disgrace." Trump has said Smith should be "thrown out of the country."

Contributing: Bart Jansen

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jack Smith resigns after investigations into President-elect Trump

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