Congressman Cohen Urges Full Release of Special Counsel Smith’s Report
Suggests withdrawal of the remaining classified documents charges would serve the public interest
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, has written to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging him to drop the charges against the two remaining defendants in the Trump classified documents case pending in Florida. Charges against Trump were dropped by Justice Department policy after he was re-elected in November.
The letter notes that Smith’s report is divided into a section on the January 6 insurrection and Trump’s effort to subvert the 2020 election, which was released Tuesday morning, and a section on Trump’s improper retention of classified documents, in which two Trump subordinates were also indicted, which has not yet been released.
The letter reads in part:
“One would expect new Department of Justice leadership to drop the cases against Donald Trump’s codefendants, Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira. By withholding the second part of the report from Congress and the public until the Nauta and De Olivira cases are completed, you will effectively bury it. The case will be dropped, and the second Trump Administration will not follow through on your commitment to release the findings.
“Counterintuitively, I think it would be in the public’s interest for the Department of Justice to withdraw the charges now before President Trump is inaugurated. The case against Nauta and De Olivira would meet the same end, albeit a few days earlier, but you could still uphold your commitment to sharing the Special Counsel’s findings.
“Time is of the essence. Donald J. Trump will be inaugurated again in seven days. Time and time again, he has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to use public power to advance his private interests. We must anticipate that he and his second Administration will do everything they can to twist the law and pervert our norms to cover up their illegal conduct and get away with their abuses of power. The only remaining check is public disclosure and the harsh light of history.”
See the entire letter here.
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