Special Counsel Jack Smith officially resigned from the Justice Department on Friday, according to a court filing cited by CNN on Saturday.
His departure comes as the Department of Justice faces a legal battle over the potential release of Smith’s investigative report into former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
Smith submitted his final report, a two-volume document, to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday. While Garland has expressed support for eventually making parts of the report public, he has indicated that the volume addressing the classified documents investigation will remain confidential for now.
Smith’s resignation marks the culmination of weeks of wind-down efforts by his office. In addition to finalizing the report, Smith’s team transferred ongoing legal matters, including an appeal concerning the special counsel’s authority, to other DOJ attorneys. The team also dismissed two federal criminal cases against Trump following his November re-election.
An appeals court on Friday rejected Trump’s request to block the report’s release, but Judge Aileen Cannon temporarily paused publication. The Justice Department is appealing her hold, which expires Sunday evening unless extended. If the hold is lifted, the DOJ could release the first volume as early as Sunday or Monday.
Smith, a seasoned prosecutor with prior experience at The Hague, was appointed by Garland in November 2022 to oversee the investigations into Trump’s handling of classified materials and alleged attempts to subvert the 2020 election results.
While Smith brought charges against Trump in both cases in 2023, the prosecutions faced significant legal hurdles. Trump’s re-election ultimately led to the dismissal of both cases.