Before his inauguration, Donald Trump tries to prevent the publication of the special prosecutor’s report on the proceedings against him

Donald Trump is trying to clear the way legally before his official return to power. The future president is asking the Department of Justice of the outgoing Joe Biden administration to oppose the publication of the report of special prosecutor Jack Smith concerning two federal criminal proceedings against him.

The special prosecutor recommended and obtained at the end of November a halt to federal proceedings against Donald Trump for illegal attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and for withholding classified documents after his departure from the White House.

After consultations, the Justice Department concluded that its policy since the Watergate scandal in 1973 of not prosecuting a sitting president, “applies to this situation” unprecedented, he explained.

“A lying report”, according to Donald Trump

However, he plans to finalize this week a confidential report for the Minister of Justice, Merrick Garland, on his investigation of these two files, Jack Smith confirmed Tuesday in court documents. “The Minister of Justice will decide whether part of the report should be made public”he declared, specifying that such a publication would not take place until January 10 at the earliest.

Donald Trump accused Jack Smith on Tuesday of wanting “write a report, probably just before I take office”January 20. “Why should he have the right to write a false report? »he launched during a press conference, agonizingly insulting the special prosecutor, a privileged target of his attacks, accusing him of having led “a false investigation” against an opponent of Joe Biden.

Previously, Donald Trump’s lawyers, in an email to Mr. Garland on Monday, demanded that he immediately end Jack Smith’s mission and block the release of his report “illegal and in bad faith”. Citing in particular the need for a peaceful transition and the preservation of the presumption of innocence, they claim to have had access to a preliminary version of the final report between January 3 and 6.