Staff Reports
The drama surrounding President-elect Donald Trump continues to unfold as he and his former co-defendants attempt to block the release of special counsel Jack Smith’s final reports on the alleged election interference in D.C. and the Florida classified documents case. Trump’s legal team is pulling out all the stops, arguing that releasing these reports would violate the Presidential Transition Act and, wait for it, the Presidential Immunity Doctrine. Talk about a double whammy; it’s as if they’re trying to write their own legal thriller.
Lawyers Todd Blance and John Lauro recently penned a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, stating that Smith’s appointments were questionable at best. They contend that Smith lacks the valid credentials needed to produce a report in the first place and that doing so would trample fundamental legal principles, like the presumption of innocence. Apparently, Smith’s office is interpreted as a fortress of limited access, given the Trump team’s experience only getting a two-volume draft of the report during a fleeting visit to Smith’s Washington office. So much for transparency.
Trump's attorneys have viewed Jack Smith's preliminary draft report, according to a new filing out tonight where attorneys for Walt Nauta and Carlos DeOliveira are arguing alongside Trump that it shouldn't be released. pic.twitter.com/32szAHe8Ay
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) January 7, 2025
They further labeled the release of the special counsel’s final report as nothing more than a “lawless political stunt,” a phrase so rich it could be served with a side of irony. According to Trump’s legal eagles, the timing of this potential release smacked of political maneuvering aimed at undermining a sitting president before he even takes office. They also suggested that the considerable taxpayer dollars spent on Smith’s probe were essentially squandered on a case that has seen more failures than successes.
Trump’s lawyers expressed how poorly releasing Smith’s report would serve the public interest. They argued that given Trump’s sweeping victory in the election and the delicate nature of the ongoing transition, it would be akin to throwing fuel on a political fire already stoked with resentment and division. The lawyers are even calling for Smith to be removed from his position posthaste. If that doesn’t happen, they suggest that the report ought to be managed by Trump’s incoming attorney general, Pam Bondi, keeping it all in the family, as they say.
Former co-defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira aren’t sitting idle, either. They’ve asked Judge Aileen Cannon—who already dismissed the Florida documents case due to Smith’s dubious appointment—to halt the release of Smith’s report outright. Their filing joins the chorus of politicians and legal minds asserting that Smith’s motivations are clearly tainted by partisan politics. With claims that the final report will be a lopsided representation of the facts, the Trump camp is already positioning this as a potential smear job designed to convince the public of guilt before any legal proceedings take place.
As the clock ticks down to Trump’s inauguration, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The special counsel’s office must complete its final report for the attorney general, who will ultimately decide its fate. With rumors circulating that Smith and his crew might bow out before Trump’s arrival, it seems the game of legal chess is reaching a fever pitch. This spectacle continues to reveal just how high the political tensions have risen in the country, as factions scramble to turn the tide in their favor in the latest chapter of America’s ongoing political saga
