Judge clears path for Trump’s election meddling report

The elected president will take office on January 20.

Special Counsel Jack Smith resigned last week.

Smith was appointed in 2022 to oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into Trump. In cases where there is a potential conflict of interest, special advisors are selected by the department.

Trump has been accused of illegally keeping the documents and, in some cases, keeping them in rooms at the residence he owns at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. In the interference case, he was charged with conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 elections.

Both cases resulted in criminal charges against Trump, who pleaded not guilty and tried to dismiss the charges as politically motivated.

But Smith closed the cases after Trump’s election in November, in accordance with Justice Department rules barring the prosecution of a sitting president.

Indeed, in the released report, Smith says, “The Department’s (justice) opinion that the Constitution prohibits continued impeachment and prosecution of the President is conclusive and does not affect the gravity of the crimes charged or the strength of the government’s evidence. or the nature of the charge behind which the office stands.”

Since then, there has been legal back-and-forth on material related to the cases.

Last week, Judge Cannon temporarily halted the release of Smith’s entire report because it could affect the cases of two Trump associates indicted in the classified documents case.

Trump’s personal assistant Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira are accused of helping Trump hide the documents.

Unlike Trump, their cases are still pending — and their attorneys have argued that release of Smith’s report could prejudice future juries and trials.