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President Donald Trump’s legal team filed an emergency motion on Monday in an effort to block the release of a report by special counsel Jack Smith involving the president’s Florida classified documents case.
The case was previously thrown out by Judge Aileen Cannon, with Smith now seeking to release a report ahead of Trump’s inauguration.
“The Final Report promises to be a one-sided, slanted report, relying nearly exclusively on evidence presented to a grand jury and subject to all requisite protections—and which is known to Smith only as a result of his unconstitutional appointment—in order to serve a singular purpose: convincing the public that everyone Smith charged is guilty of the crimes charged,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in the motion.
“As the Government knows, the continued operation of the protective order in this case will make the one-sided impermissible Final Report even more unfairly prejudicial; Defendants are strictly precluded from refuting the Report. The Final Report is meant to serve as a Government verdict against the Defendants contrary to all criminal justice norms and constitutional guideposts,” they later added.
It is unknown when Smith intends to release his report. However, it is likely to come within a few days, according to Trump’s legal team.
Cannon dismissed the classified documents case against Trump in July, agreeing with defense attorneys who argued that the special counsel who filed the charges had been improperly appointed by the Justice Department.
Shortly after the ruling, special counsel Jack Smith’s office announced plans to appeal, potentially paving the way for the decision to be overturned by a higher court. However, for now, the dismissal by Judge Cannon halted the criminal case, which had been viewed as the most serious legal challenge Trump faced among his various legal battles.
Although the case had already been delayed and a trial before the November election did not seem likely, the judge’s ruling marks a significant legal and political win for Trump.