The Justice Department has informed a federal appeals court of its intention to release the January 6-related volume of the final report by special counsel Jack Smith just days before Donald Trump's inauguration. However, the department has stated that it will not make public the section of the report concerning Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents.
Following a request from Trump and his former co-defendants in the classified documents case, District Judge Aileen Cannon issued a block on the release of both volumes. The co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, who have pleaded not guilty, were the subjects of the blocked section.
The Justice Department argues that since it does not plan to release the portion related to Nauta and De Oliveira, there is no justification for preventing the rest of the report from being disclosed.
In a filing to the appeals court, the DOJ stated, “There is neither any need nor legal basis for an injunction.” The Attorney General intends to release Volume One to Congress and the public to inform them about the matter. However, Volume Two will not be made public as long as the criminal proceedings involving Nauta and De Oliveira are ongoing, to prevent any potential prejudice to the defendants.
