Special Counsel Jack Smith, who oversaw two significant legal actions against President-elect Donald Trump, has stepped down from his position within the Justice Department, according to court filings.
Smith’s departure, which took effect on Friday, had been anticipated as President Joe Biden’s term nears its conclusion.
“The Special Counsel completed his work and submitted his final confidential report on January 7, 2025, and separated from the Department on January 10,” officials from the Department of Justice stated in documents submitted to a Florida court on Saturday.
Smith was responsible for leading two criminal investigations into Trump, one concerning alleged attempts to interfere with the results of the 2020 presidential election and the other involving the improper handling of classified materials. Both cases were dropped after Trump won the election.
Neither of the cases had gone to trial.
Trump denied all allegations and argued that the legal actions were an attempt to undermine his political aspirations.
Smith’s resignation follows a ruling from a U.S. appeals court on Thursday, which decided not to block the Department of Justice from releasing his investigation’s report regarding Trump’s efforts to reverse his loss in the 2020 election—an accusation that Trump has consistently rejected.
Should the report be made public, it is expected to offer an in-depth look at the investigation into the 2020 election.
Attorney General Merrick Garland, who appointed Smith, made the decision not to release the section of the report that pertains to classified documents, as legal proceedings involving Trump’s two former associates are still ongoing.
Trump has harshly criticized Smith, calling him “deranged,” and stated in November that he would remove the special counsel from his post if given the chance.
“I would fire him within two seconds. He’ll be one of the first things addressed,” Trump declared just days before securing the presidency.
The president-elect has not yet responded to Smith’s resignation, but he shared a photo of himself at the 2024 Republican National Convention with the slogan “Make America Great Once Again” on Truth Social, around the same time the news broke.
{Matzav.com}