{"id":2522375,"date":"2025-12-17T18:42:58","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T23:42:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jack-smith-faults-doj-for-dropping-trump-codefendant-charges\/"},"modified":"2025-12-17T18:46:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T23:46:00","slug":"jack-smith-faults-doj-for-dropping-trump-codefendant-charges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jack-smith-faults-doj-for-dropping-trump-codefendant-charges\/","title":{"rendered":"Jack Smith faults DOJ for dropping Trump codefendant charges"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjack-smith-faults-doj-for-dropping-trump-codefendant-charges%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2522375&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Former special counsel Jack Smith testified before the House Judiciary Committee, criticizing the Justice Department&#8217;s decision under former President Donald Trump to dismiss federal charges against two of Trump&#8217;s codefendants-Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira-in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-asks-supreme-court-to-reject-trump-request-in-fbi-classified-documents-case\/\" title=\"... Asks Supreme Court to Reject Trump Request in FBI Classified Documents Case\">classified documents case<\/a>.Smith stated there was no legal or factual basis to drop the charges, which related to allegations that the men helped Trump conceal classified materials at Mar-a-Lago and obstructed investigators.The DOJ dismissed these charges in February 2025 after Trump&#8217;s return to office, citing a policy against prosecuting a sitting president. During his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/contempt-charge-against-dan-scavino-based-on-false-claims-by-january-6-committee\/\" title=\"Contempt Charge Against Dan Scavino Based on False Claims by January 6 Committee\">closed-door deposition<\/a>, Smith defended the integrity of his investigations, rejecting claims of political bias, and expressed concern that withholding his classified documents report and attacking prosecutors could damage public trust and deter qualified professionals from public service. Democrats criticized the closed-session testimony and delays in releasing Smith&#8217;s full report due to a judge&#8217;s refusal to authorize its publication. Smith emphasized that his charging decisions were based solely on facts and law, asserting evidence that Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 election and obstruct justice. the testimony is expected to influence ongoing congressional scrutiny of the Trump-related prosecutions.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">DOJ should not have dropped Trump codefendant charges: Jack Smith<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2447960\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Former special counsel <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jack-smith\/\">Jack Smith<\/a> told House lawmakers that the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\">Justice Department<\/a> under President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> should not have dismissed federal charges against two of Trump&rsquo;s codefendants in the classified documents case, according to Democrats who spoke to reporters during a break in Smith&rsquo;s closed-door deposition Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats revealed the claim during a press conference held outside the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-judiciary-committee\/\">House Judiciary Committee<\/a> room while Smith was still testifying behind closed doors. Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/dan-goldman\/\">Dan Goldman<\/a> (D-NY) said Smith made clear during questioning that there was &ldquo;no basis on the evidence or the facts or the law&rdquo; to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3316580\/court-ends-classified-documents-case-trump-co-defendants\/\">dismiss charges against<\/a> Trump aide <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/walt-nauta\/\">Walt Nauta<\/a> and his Mar-a-Lago property manager, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/1463983\/donald-trump-indicted-read-new-jack-smith-charges-against-ex-president-and-carlos-de-oliveira\/\">Carlos De Oliveira<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3924040\/sydney-sweeney-jeans-american-eagle-most-stolen-item\/\">Sydney Sweeney&#8217;s jeans are American Eagle&#8217;s most-stolen item<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3924185\/four-republican-rebels-forced-johnson-hand-obamacare\/\">Who are the four Republican rebels who forced Johnson&#8217;s hand on Obamacare?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3924003\/dan-newhouse-retire-trump-impeachment\/\">Dan Newhouse, one of two remaining Trump impeachment Republicans, to retire<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Walt Nauta, center, valet to former President Donald Trump, his attorney Stanley Woodward, rear, and Carlos De Oliveira, foreground, the property manager of Trump&rsquo;s Mar-a-Lago estate, leave the Alto Lee Adams Sr. U.S. Courthouse, Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023, in Fort Pierce, Florida. (AP Photo\/Wilfredo Lee)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;The special counsel made very clear that the two additional cases against Donald Trump&rsquo;s codefendants had no reason to be dismissed,&rdquo; Goldman said. &ldquo;Donald Trump&rsquo;s Justice Department dismissed those as soon as he came into office.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The DOJ moved on Feb. 11, 2025, to dismiss the remaining federal prosecutions tied to Smith&rsquo;s work after Trump returned to office, citing long-standing DOJ policy barring criminal prosecutions of a sitting president. That decision swept away not only the election interference case but also the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-mishandling-of-classified-documents-looms-over-presidential-transition-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s mishandling of classified documents looms over presidential transition - Washington Examiner\">classified documents prosecution<\/a> and the remaining charges against Nauta and De Oliveira, both of whom had been accused of helping Trump conceal classified materials at Mar-a-Lago and obstructing investigators.<\/p>\n<p>Smith&rsquo;s deposition began shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday, and marked the first time lawmakers have directly questioned him about the Trump prosecutions. He arrived under subpoena at the Rayburn House Office Building and declined to answer reporters&rsquo; questions before entering the deposition room. House Judiciary Chairman <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jim-jordan\/\">Jim Jordan<\/a> (R-OH) demurred when asked whether the hearing was satisfying Republicans&rsquo; concerns, saying, &ldquo;Yeah, I mean they&rsquo;re asking questions, and we&rsquo;re asking questions.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Goldman said Smith defended the integrity of his investigations and rejected claims that political considerations drove charging decisions. The lawmaker also criticized Republicans for conducting the session behind closed doors and for blocking the public release of the second volume of Smith&rsquo;s final report, which focuses on the classified documents case.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That report is only not being released because the judge in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/florida\/\">Florida<\/a> refuses to authorize its release,&rdquo; Goldman said, calling the delay &ldquo;absolutely unacceptable.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Other Democrats echoed those complaints. Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pramila-jayapal\/\">Pramila Jayapal<\/a> (D-WA) said Smith warned that withholding the report and attacking career prosecutors would have &ldquo;catastrophic&rdquo; consequences for public trust and could deter qualified professionals from public service.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jamie-raskin\/\">Jamie Raskin<\/a> (D-MD) went further, suggesting that public testimony from Smith would have been politically damaging to Trump and his allies. Raskin praised Smith as a &ldquo;sensational and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >honorable public servant&#038;rdquo<\/a>; and said the former prosecutor spent hours explaining the ethical duties of prosecutors to the committee.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Former Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith arrives under subpoena for a House Judiciary Committee deposition as part of its oversight into DOJ investigations into President Donald Trump, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who presided over the classified documents case last year, has waited nearly a year to approve the release of Smith&rsquo;s final report, which details his investigation and basis for bringing the South Florida case. Cannon, earlier this week, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/judge-aileen-cannon-donald-trump-jack-smith-report-11215159\">allowed Trump to submit an amicus brief<\/a> in the case, which would serve as his last word on why she should not let Smith&rsquo;s report be released publicly.<\/p>\n<p>Smith, in his <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3923881\/jack-smith-house-deposition-trump-prosecutions\/\">opening statement<\/a>, said the charging decisions were his alone and based entirely on the facts and the law. He maintained that his office found evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump sought to overturn the 2020 election and obstruct justice in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-conducts-search-of-mike-pences-indiana-home-in-classified-documents-investigation\/\" title=\"FBI Conducts Search of Mike Pence&#039;s Indiana Home in Classified Documents Investigation\">classified documents investigation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jasmine-crockett\/\">Jasmine Crockett<\/a> (D-TX) told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that Smith did not disclose any details from the classified documents report during the deposition, saying that he adhered strictly to court orders barring its release.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3919584\/fbi-probable-cause-doubts-mar-a-lago-raid-emails-show\/&amp;ved=2ahUKEwik4cSWtcWRAxVuz_ACHe1mNRAQFnoECBIQAQ&amp;usg=AOvVaw2T9iyIWM37vKw6ErK3oIPO\"><strong>FBI HAD DOUBTS ABOUT PROBABLE CAUSE FOR MAR-A-LAGO RAID, EMAILS SHOW<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He is a prosecutor through and through, and he believes in following court orders,&rdquo; Crockett said, noting that Smith had mentioned &ldquo;nothing&rdquo; about his second report concerning the classified documents case.<\/p>\n<p>The closed-door testimony, which continued on Wednesday past 4 p.m., is expected to shape future possible congressional hearings as both House and Senate Republicans weigh next steps in their scrutiny of the Trump prosecutions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DOJ wrongly dropped charges against Trump&#8217;s codefendants: Smith<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2522376,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25351713743989.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[68991,7076,32463,44332,3634],"class_list":["post-2522375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-codefendant-charges","tag-doj","tag-jack-smith","tag-legal-dispute","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25351713743989.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2522375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2522375"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2522375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2522379,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2522375\/revisions\/2522379"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2522376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2522375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2522375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2522375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}