President-elect Trump has slammed Special Counsel Jack Smith’s resignation from the Justice Department, calling it an “embarrassment” for himself and the country.
Smith’s resignation was announced in a court filing Saturday.
A footnote to the filing states: “The Special Counsel completed his duties and submitted his final confidential report on January 7, 2025, and became independent from the Department on January 10.”
President Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday to criticize Smith over the investigation into the president-elect.
Special Counsel Jack Smith resigns after two years at the Justice Department
President-elect Donald Trump arrives for a press conference at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Friday, October 25, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“Deranged Jack Smith was fired today by the Department of Justice. He is a disgrace to himself, his family, and his country. After spending more than $100 million on a witch hunt against Trump, he left town empty-handed. ” Trump wrote.
Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022 to investigate Trump’s role in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot and his mishandling of classified documents.
Smith previously served as acting U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee in 2017 during the Trump administration.
The resignation comes ahead of the release of Smith’s report on events related to President Trump’s role in the storming of the Capitol. Recent court filings reveal that Garland plans to release a report soon, perhaps before Trump’s inauguration next week.
U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith speaks during a press conference in Washington, D.C., U.S., Tuesday, August 1, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“As I have made clear for every special counsel I have served with since taking office, I am committed to making the special counsel’s report as public as possible, consistent with legal requirements and Department policy. ” Garland wrote in a recent letter. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.).
A federal appeals court judge ruled Friday against blocking publication of Smith’s report.
After Trump won the presidential election in November, Smith filed a motion to end the lawsuit against the president-elect.
In late November, Mr. Smith asked a judge to drop charges against Mr. Trump in cases related to the Capitol riot. Prior to the request, Mr. Smith filed a motion to override all deadlines on the matter, which were expected after Mr. Trump’s election victory.
President Trump presses Republicans to quickly send ‘one strong bill’ for signature
Special Counsel Jack Smith announces indictment of former President Donald Trump during press conference in Washington, DC, August 1, 2023 (Getty Images)
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President Trump said after the case was dropped that “the case should never have been filed.”
“These lawsuits, like all the others I have been forced to undergo, are empty and lawless and should never have been filed,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. said. “This was a political hijacking, and it was a low point in our nation’s history that something like this could happen. But I persevered against all odds, and I won. I will make America great again.” Do it!”
FOX News’ Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.
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