A federal judge has blocked the release of the second volume of former Special Counsel Jack Smith's report on his investigation into Donald Trump. On Tuesday (January 21), U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon ruled against sharing the report with leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, citing concerns over potential prejudice to defendants and lack of legal basis for disclosure.
The second volume of the report focuses on the classified documents case involving Trump, while the first volume, which was released to a small congressional group, addressed alleged election interference by Trump. Cannon's decision comes after Trump co-defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira filed motions to prevent the release of both volumes, arguing it could harm their right to a fair trial. Cannon had previously denied their motion regarding the first volume.
Judge Cannon's ruling emphasized that there is no historical precedent for releasing special counsel reports to Congress before the conclusion of criminal proceedings. She noted that the report had not been subpoenaed by Congress nor identified as necessary for legislative purposes.
The Justice Department, under former Attorney General Merrick Garland, had sought to share the report with lawmakers for potential legislative reforms. However, Trump's administration, now in control, is expected to oppose any further attempts to release the report, even under the Freedom of Information Act.
The report's release is further complicated by ongoing legal proceedings, as the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals is considering an appeal by Nauta and De Oliveira to dismiss Smith's indictment. Cannon's order prevents the report from being shared until 30 days after the court's decision on the appeal.
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