Trump Calls DOJ Report ‘Fake Findings’ after Charges Are Dropped Days before Inauguration
The Department of Justice released Volume One of former Special Counsel Jack Smith's final report on his investigations into President-elect Donald Trump, just days before he is sworn into office as the nation's 47th president. The report, which centers on the election case against Trump, was released Tuesday at midnight by Attorney General Merrick Garland. As reported by Fox News, Smith contended in the report that the DOJ was adamant in the decision to bring charges against Trump, which "resorted to a series of criminal efforts to retain power" following his loss in the 2020 election.
Smith concluded that the parties were deciding whether any material in the "superseding indictment was subject to presidential immunity" when Trump won the 2024 election. The DOJ ultimately settled to dismiss the case before he took office due to its interpretation of the Constitution.
"The Department's view that the Constitution prohibits the continued indictment and prosecution of a President is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government's proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Office stands fully behind," the report stated.
In response to the report Tuesday morning, Trump called Smith "deranged" and "desperate" for releasing his "fake findings" in a post on Truth Social.
Smith, who resigned last week, wrote a letter to Garland saying that it was "laughable" that Trump believes his decisions as a prosecutor were influenced by the Biden administration or other political actors.
"Trump's cases represented ones 'in which the offense [was] the most flagrant, the public harm the greatest, and the proof the most certain,'" Smith said, referencing the principles.
Garland initially appointed Smith as special counsel in November 2022 to lead the investigation into Trump's retention of classified information after his departure from the White House and whether he obstructed the federal government's investigation into the matter.
Additionally, Smith oversaw the investigation into whether Trump and other officials tampered with the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021.
Trump, however, pleaded not guilty to both charges.
In July 2024, District Court for the Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen dismissed the classified records case, ruling that Smith was unlawfully appointed as special counsel. Meanwhile, Judge Tanya Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for Washington D.C. granted Trump's request to dismiss the 2020 election case.
WATCH: BREAKING DOJ Releases Jack Smith's Report Ahead of Trump Inauguration
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Michael M. Santiago/Staff
Originally published January 14, 2025.
