Lawyers representing President-elect Donald Trump are seeking permission from a federal judge to intervene in an attempt to block the release of special counsel Jack Smith's final report on the two federal investigations involving the president-elect. If Judge Aileen Cannon does not allow Trump to join the effort, his legal team is requesting that he be permitted to participate as a friend of the court. Trump's former co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, have also asked Cannon to schedule a hearing on Friday regarding their request to prevent the report's release.
Nauta and De Oliveira have urged both Cannon and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to halt the special counsel's office from sending the report to Attorney General Merrick Garland and to forbid the Justice Department from making any report by Smith public. Trump's attorneys argue in a filing made on Tuesday that releasing the report would constitute a disruption and interference with President Trump's transition efforts and would harm the institution of the Presidency.
The legal team representing Trump consistently refers to Smith as a 'private citizen,' highlighting Cannon's ruling that the process used to appoint the special counsel was deemed illegal. Although this decision was appealed, the matter remains unresolved. Despite the Justice Department dropping its case against Trump due to his re-election and the DOJ policy against prosecuting a sitting president, prosecutors are now seeking to revive the case against Nauta and De Oliveira.
