Special Counsel Jack Smith has officially resigned from his position at the Department of Justice, according to Fox News. His departure, which had been anticipated since President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in November, was noted in the footnote of a recent court filing.
“The Special Counsel completed his work and submitted his final confidential report on January 7, 2025, and separated from the Department on January 10,” the filing stated.
Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022 to oversee the investigation into the 2020 election interference and the Mar-a-Lago classified documents cases. Previously, Smith served as acting U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee during Trump’s first term.
In November, Smith requested the dismissal of charges he had filed against Trump in the D.C. election interference case. After the charges were dropped, Trump reacted on Truth Social, calling the investigations “empty and lawless” and stating they “should never have been brought.”
“These cases, like all of the other cases I have been forced to go through, are empty and lawless,” Trump wrote. “It was a political hijacking… and yet, I persevered, against all odds, and WON. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Attorney General Garland indicated that Smith’s report on the 2020 election interference case could be released before Trump’s inauguration on January 20. “As I have made clear regarding every Special Counsel who has served since I took office, I am committed to making as much of the Special Counsel’s report public as possible, consistent with legal requirements and Department policy,” Garland wrote in a letter to Congress.
A federal appeals court judge ruled Friday that the report’s release could not be blocked, further increasing speculation that it will be available soon.
This resignation closes a significant chapter in Smith’s tenure, as Trump prepares to begin his second term in office.
