Special Counsel Jack Smith is reportedly planning to finish his report on the criminal cases against President-elect Donald Trump and resign before getting fired.
Smith, who obtained two indictments against Trump over his handling of classified government documents and his effort to overturn the 2020 election, is still analyzing how to end the cases, The New York Times reported. Potential judicial rulings and decisions by government officials could alter the timeline.
Smith is winding down the two federal criminal cases against Trump before he takes office for his second term. The move answers to a longstanding policy of not prosecuting a sitting president. Trump had already anticipated in October that he would fire Smith "within two seconds" if elected.
Trump also said last month on 77WABC's "Cats & Cosby" that Smith should be "thrown out" of the country along with with undocumented immigrants, even though he's an American citizen
And while it's not clear if Smith and his team will be able to fully finish their jobs, the report will ultimately be aimed at public consumption, rather than a jury. He has already moved to cancel different deadlines in the case seeking to prosecute him for seeking to subvert the 2020 election.
Republicans are already gunning for Smith, with House Judiciary Committee Jim Jordan not ruling out investigating Smith and his team for their actions. The lawmaker said this week in an interview that Republicans "want the facts."
"I assume there's going to be some report. But all we're saying is, 'preserve everything,' so we, the Congress, who have a constitutional duty to do oversight, can see everything," Jordan added, as reported by NBC News. Jordan sent Smith a letter last Friday demanding he keep all his records.
Jordan also left open the possibility of calling Smith to testify. "Maybe that's been the norm, but we want the information," he added, avoiding giving a direct answer when asked if Smith would be called before Congress.
Jordan and Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., sent a letter to Smith's office on Friday asking that all records related to Smith's investigations into Trump be preserved. The letter raised concerns that documents could disappear given Trump's victory in the election. "With President Trump's decisive victory this week, we are concerned that the Office of Special Counsel may attempt to purge relevant records," it said.
Members of Smith's team were reportedly preparing to face retribution if Trump was elected, holding staff briefings on potential harassment by Trump supporters. Topics reportedly included doxing, in which a person's private information is posted online, as well as cybersecurity and stalking.
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