On Tuesday, a federal judge temporarily halted the release of Special Counsel Jack Smith's report regarding his investigations into President-elect Trump's alleged 2020 election interference and alleged improper retention of classified records, which have since been suspended.
Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, co-defendants of Trump, submitted an emergency motion to prevent the purportedly imminent publication of Smith's final report, as Politico reported.
Aileen Cannon, the U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Florida, rendered a decision in favor of Nauta and De Oliveira in order to "prevent irreparable harm."
Cannon indicated that Smith is "temporarily enjoined" from participating in "releasing, sharing, or transmitting the Final Report or any drafts of such Report outside the Department of Justice."
The order will remain in effect for a period of three days following the announcement of a resolution by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.
It is customary for special counsels to publish a final report that outlines the results of their investigation and elucidates any prosecution or declination decisions they have made.
Given Trump's status as president-elect and the Justice Department's long-standing policy against bringing criminal charges against a seated president, the prosecution decision in Smith's case is immaterial.
The report would initially be reviewed by the office of Attorney General Merrick Garland, as is customary.
On Monday, Trump's attorneys wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland, imploring him not to disclose Smith's report, a two-volume document that they were permitted to examine in Smith's office over the previous three days.
Trump's attorneys stated in the letter to Garland that the release of a public narrative of the evidence Smith gathered in the classified documents case and the federal election conspiracy case regarding Trump's attempt to subvert the 2020 election would illegally interfere with the presidential transition and be little more than a political attack.
They argued that the administration of Trump should be responsible for determining whether or not Smith's findings should be disclosed. Additionally, they urged Garland to terminate Smith's employment promptly, as he is scheduled to conclude his term by the time of Trump's inauguration.
“Because Smith has proposed an unlawful course of action, you must countermand his plan and remove him promptly,” Trump’s lawyers wrote.
On Tuesday, attorneys for Trump's co-defendants announced that the president-elect would soon seek to formally intervene in court regarding the matter.
Smith and the Justice Department jointly responded on Tuesday morning, stating that Garland had not yet rendered a decision regarding the report's public dissemination and would not do so until at least January 10.
Smith stated that he had not yet transmitted the classified documents report to Garland and would not do so until at least Tuesday afternoon.
