Special Counsel Jack Smith has stepped down from his role at the Department of Justice (DOJ), with his resignation officially noted in a recent court document. DOJ officials mentioned in a footnote within a court filing from Saturday that Smith concluded his duties by submitting his final confidential report on January 7, 2025, and officially departed from the department on January 10.
Appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022, Smith has been at the forefront of legal actions involving President-elect Trump. During his tenure, Trump faced criminal charges in two significant cases: one concerning alleged mishandling of classified documents and another related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Trump has consistently maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty to all charges.
Smith’s resignation occurs amid an ongoing dispute involving Trump’s defense lawyers and DOJ officials over the release of one of Smith’s investigative reports. In particular, lawyers for Trump’s former co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira, have been working to uphold a judge’s order that prevents the DOJ from publicly disclosing portions of Smith’s findings. This legal struggle follows the dismissal of Trump’s classified documents case by Judge Aileen Cannon in July of the previous year.
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