Smith charged Trump in 2023 with 40 counts of illegally retaining classified defense information and obstructing government efforts to retrieve the materials. In her Monday ruling, Cannon lambasted Smith for compiling the report even though she dismissed the charges in 2024. In the final days before Trump took office, Smith submitted the final report to then-Attorney General Merrick Garland. Garland made public the first volume of Smith’s report, which detailed the case that prosecutors built against Trump over his alleged attempts to obstruct the 2020 election results. Trump and his attorneys first asked Cannon to block the release of the report before he was inaugurated for his second term.

Source: Washington Post February 23, 2026 17:49 UTC