House Democrats demand Bondi release special counsel report on Trump classified documents case

Though the classified documents case is long defunct, an order from a Trump-appointed judge earlier this year has kept Jack Smith’s report on the president’s handling of such material under wraps.

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The Democrats argued that the Justice Department had “no justification” for withholding Smith’s report beyond its initial claim that it was protecting the fairness of proceedings against Trump’s co-defendants in the classified documents case, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira. The agency, however, dismissed that case in February.

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Meanwhile, Raskin and other Judiciary Committee Democrats on Friday prepared to file an amicus brief with the Southern District of Florida asking the court to overturn Cannon’s January injunction. In a draft of the friend-of-the-court brief, reviewed by Courthouse News, the lawmakers claimed that leaving the order in place would “obstruct the critical flow of information” between Congress and the executive branch.

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They argued that releasing the Smith report would dispel an “untenable asymmetry” between public accusations leveled about the special counsel investigation by House Republicans and the availability of information about Smith’s probe. Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee have long contended that the classified documents case against the president was politically motivated.

“Neither the committee nor the public can meaningfully evaluate Mr. Smith’s conduct, or assess the Committee’s accusations, without access to the report that memorializes what the Special Counsel actually did and why,” the Democrats said. “Whatever interests may have justified the court’s original order, those interests cannot support perpetuating a one-sided public record indefinitely.”

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https://www.courthousenews.com/house-democrats-demand-bondi-release-special-counsel-report-on-trump-classified-documents-case/