DOJ releases Trump Jan. 6 special counsel report
Jack Smith's report details the president-elect's "criminal efforts to retain power" amid the 2020 election
What happened
Attorney General Merrick Garland early this morning released special counsel Jack Smith's final report on his efforts to prosecute President-elect Donald Trump for his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss. Garland submitted that portion of Smith's report to Congress after a court-imposed deadline expired at midnight.
Who said what
Smith, who resigned Friday, said in the 174-page report that he had to drop his case after Trump won in November due to the Justice Department's "categorical" view that presidents cannot be prosecuted. But his team "assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial" if Trump had come up short.
When Trump lost in 2020, the report said, "he resorted to a series of criminal efforts to retain power." Smith placed the blame for the violent Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol "squarely at Mr. Trump’s feet," The New York Times said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The report "amounted to an extraordinary rebuke of a president-elect," charging him with "crimes that struck at the heart of American democracy" days before he regains power, the Times said. Responding to the report, Trump claimed he was "totally innocent" and called Smith a "lamebrain prosecutor who was unable to get his case tried before the election."
What next?
Garland temporarily withheld the second volume of Smith's report, pertaining to Trump's retention of highly classified documents, and Trump's picks to head the Justice Department are widely expected to ensure it is never released.
-
Political cartoons for February 16Cartoons Monday’s political cartoons include President's Day, a valentine from the Epstein files, and more
-
Regent Hong Kong: a tranquil haven with a prime waterfront spotThe Week Recommends The trendy hotel recently underwent an extensive two-year revamp
-
The problem with diagnosing profound autismThe Explainer Experts are reconsidering the idea of autism as a spectrum, which could impact diagnoses and policy making for the condition
-
How are Democrats turning DOJ lemons into partisan lemonade?TODAY’S BIG QUESTION As the Trump administration continues to try — and fail — at indicting its political enemies, Democratic lawmakers have begun seizing the moment for themselves
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
-
El Paso airspace closure tied to FAA-Pentagon standoffSpeed Read The closure in the Texas border city stemmed from disagreements between the Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon officials over drone-related tests
-
Judge blocks Trump suit for Michigan voter rollsSpeed Read A Trump-appointed federal judge rejected the administration’s demand for voters’ personal data
-
US to send 200 troops to Nigeria to train armySpeed Read Trump has accused the West African government of failing to protect Christians from terrorist attacks
