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.
Subscribe to 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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
A tall ship adventure in the Mediterranean
The Week Recommends Sailing aboard this schooner and exploring Portugal, Spain and Monaco is a 'magical' experience
-
How drone warfare works
The Explainer From Ukraine to Iran, it has become clear that unmanned aircraft are rapidly revolutionising modern warfare
-
The tourist flood in the Mediterranean: can it be stemmed?
Talking Point Finger-pointing at Airbnb or hotel owners obscures the root cause of overtourism in holiday hotspots: unmanageable demand
-
Trump's strikes on Iran: a 'spectacular success'?
In Depth Military humiliations 'expose the brittleness' of Tehran's ageing regime, but risk reinforcing its commitment to its nuclear program
-
Will NATO countries meet their new spending goal?
today's big question The cost of keeping Trump happy
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
Bibi's back: what will Netanyahu do next?
Today's Big Question Riding high after a series of military victories, Israel's PM could push for peace in Gaza – or secure his own position with snap election