Atlanta: A U.S. appeals court on Thursday declined to block the Justice Department from releasing a special counsel’s report on President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. The ruling from the Atlanta-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit paves the way for the report’s release, potentially as early as next week.
The decision, however, did not immediately lift an earlier order by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who had paused the report’s release. Cannon’s order is set to expire three days after the appeals court ruling, leaving a brief window for further legal maneuvering. The appeals court also invited the Justice Department to file a separate appeal to fully reverse Cannon’s ruling if necessary.
The anticipated report marks the conclusion of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigations into Trump’s efforts to subvert the 2020 election and allegations of mishandling classified documents. Smith, who filed two historic cases against Trump, later dropped both after Trump’s election victory, leaving them unresolved in court.
Objections from Co-Defendants
Trump’s former co-defendants in the classified documents case, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, filed motions with the appeals court to block the report, claiming it could prejudice their ongoing trials. Both men have pleaded not guilty to obstruction charges and argued that even a limited release to Congress could harm their defense.
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Attorney General Merrick Garland, who appointed Smith, decided to withhold the portion of the report concerning the classified documents. This section will be shared only with select senior members of Congress, according to a Justice Department filing.
Public Interest and Unanswered Questions
It remains unclear how much new information the public section of the report will reveal. Detailed accounts of Trump’s actions regarding the 2020 election and the January 6 Capitol attack have already been released by Smith and a congressional committee.
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Trump has denied all charges, framing the cases as politically motivated attempts to harm his presidential campaign.
