Special counsel Jack Smith resigns from DOJ as Trump’s fight to block final report continues

Special Counsel Jack Smith resigned from the Department of Justice on Friday after he completed his two criminal investigations of President-elect Donald Trump.

Smith, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in Nov. 2022, left his post just days ahead of Trump’s inauguration. His departure was disclosed in the footnote of a court filing submitted Saturday to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon of Florida.

“The Special Counsel completed his work and submitted his final confidential report on January 7, 2025, and separated from the Department on January 10,” the filing reads.

In the filing, DOJ officials urged Trump-appointed Cannon not to extend her order issued last week that is temporarily blocking the DOJ from releasing Smith’s investigation into Trump’s interference in the 2020 election results. Trump’s former co-defendants have asked Cannon to extend her order and are attempting to keep Garland from releasing a portion of Smith’s report to members of Congress.

The DOJ had filed an emergency motion late Friday asking a federal appeals court to reverse the order, pushing for a swift release of Smith’s investigative report.

Cannon had previously dismissed the Mar-a-Lago documents case against Trump after ruling that Smith’s appointment as special counsel was unconstitutional.