❓WHAT HAPPENED: A federal judge has permanently barred the release of former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on his investigation into President Donald J. Trump’s handling of classified documents.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, former Special Counsel Jack Smith, U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, and Department of Justice (DOJ) officials.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The decision was made on Monday, February 23, 2026, by Judge Cannon, who presides in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Special Counsel Smith, acting without lawful authority, obtained an indictment in this action and initiated proceedings that resulted in a final order of dismissal of all charges.” — Judge Cannon.
🎯IMPACT: The ruling prevents the DOJ from releasing the report, citing “manifest injustice” to Trump and his co-defendants.
Former Biden government special counsel Jack Smith‘s report on the findings from his classified documents probe of President Donald J. Trump will not be released. U.S. Court Judge Aileen Cannon, who ruled in July 2024 that Smith’s appointment to special counsel was unconstitutional, determined that the release of the report—which was never fully litigated in court and contains only allegations leveled by Smith—could do potential “irreparable harm” to President Trump and his former co-defendants.
In her ruling, Judge Cannon stated that releasing the report would constitute a “manifest injustice” and reiterated that Smith’s appointment as special counsel was “unlawful.” Smith moved to drop both of his prosecutions of Trump following the November 2024 presidential election, after wasting an estimated $50 million in taxpayer dollars trying to convict him.
“Special Counsel Smith, acting without lawful authority, obtained an indictment in this action and initiated proceedings that resulted in a final order of dismissal of all charges,” Cannon wrote, adding, “As a result, the former defendants in this case, like any other defendant in this situation, still enjoy the presumption of innocence held sacrosanct in our constitutional order.”
Attorneys for the President argued that releasing the report would be “inherently biased,” as the allegations in the document were never fully challenged or litigated in court. Meanwhile, Smith himself is facing accusations that he overstepped his investigatory mandate—targeting members of Congress and Republican Party election organizations—in his January 6 investigation.
The National Pulse reported in late January of this year that Smith told lawmakers he expected to be indicted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for his actions during the two Biden-era Trump probes. Smith is accused of circumventing constitutional safeguards and using favorable judges to secure subpoenas for phone records belonging to Republican lawmakers.
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