House Judiciary Democrats Demand DOJ Release Special Counsel Jack Smith's Full Report After Department Moves to Dismiss Charges Against Trump's Co-Conspirators

February 3, 2025

Letter Follows Push By Judiciary Democrats for DOJ to Make Public the Full Report Trump's Mishandling of Classified Documents

Washington, D.C. (February 3, 2025)- Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, led Committee Democrats in a letter urging Acting Attorney General James McHenry to publicly release Volume Two of Special Counsel Jack Smith's report on President Donald Trump's mishandling of classified documents, after the Department of Justice (DOJ) moved to end the prosecution of Trump's co-conspirators.

"During her first briefing to the White House Press Corps, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: 'all of you once again have access to the most transparent and accessible president in American history. There has never been a president who communicates with the American people and the American press corps as openly and authentically as the 45th and now 47th president of the United States.' Given that comparable reports on comparable subjects have been made public in the case of other presidents, I fully expect that, in keeping with this president's proudly proclaimed preeminent commitment to transparency and accessibility, you will publicly release Volume Two of Special Counsel Smith's report, in full and unredacted, as soon as the pending matter is dismissed," wrote the Members.

Volume Two of the Special Counsel's report outlines the evidence supporting the 40 felony counts against Trump for knowingly retaining hundreds of presidential and highly classified records at his Mar-a-Lago club and then deliberately defying subpoenas, obstructing law enforcement, hiding evidence, and lying about his continuing retention of these records.

On January 29, 2025, DOJ moved to drop the prosecution of Trump's former co-defendants in the classified documents case, Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira. DOJ's rationale for not previously releasing Volume Two of Special Counsel Smith's report was to avoid any prejudice to Trump's co-defendants while the case against them remined ongoing. Once the case is dismissed, DOJ will have no conceivable basis upon which to continue withholding this essential report.

In their letter, the Members underscore that it is of high importance that the American people and Congress understand how and why Trump recklessly mishandled the nation's most sensitive classified information. Therefore, the Members once again urged DOJ to release the report, in full, as soon as the government's motion is granted.

Click here to read the letter.