Judge Cannon Seals Jack Smiths Trump Documents Report

A federal judge in Florida on Monday permanently blocked the public release of a detailed report by special counsel Jack Smith detailing his investigation into former President Donald Trump's handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who previously presided over the case, granted Trump's request to seal the two-volume document. The report covers Smith's probes into two major matters: Trump's alleged efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election results after his loss to Joe Biden, and his retention of sensitive government materials at the Palm Beach property following his departure from the White House in 2021. Both inquiries resulted in federal indictments against Trump and associates, but the charges were dropped after Trump's victory in the November 2024 election. Department of Justice guidelines, in place for decades, prohibit the criminal prosecution of a sitting president, prompting the special counsel's team to abandon the cases.

Cannon, who dismissed the classified documents indictment in 2024 on grounds that Smith's appointment as special counsel was unlawful, ruled that disclosing the report now would cause...