Chicago January 16, 2025
House Judiciary Democrats are urging outgoing US Attorney General Merrick Garland to drop charges against President-elect Donald Trump’s former co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira. The two men are accused of handling classified documents at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
In a letter to Garland, the Democrats argue that Trump will likely pardon Nauta and De Oliveira once he takes office, which would prevent the release of the second volume of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report. The report details Smith’s investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents and alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
Garland has said he won’t release the second volume while Nauta and De Oliveira still face prosecution. However, the Democrats believe that releasing the report is in the public interest and that Trump should not be allowed to “escape accountability”.
The letter was signed by 18 Democratic committee members, including Ranking Member Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Representatives Jerry Nadler and Dan Goldman of New York.
Judge Aileen Cannon is set to hear arguments over the release of the second volume on Thursday. Garland has already released the first volume, which focuses on the election interference case.
It’s worth noting that Special Counsel Jack Smith resigned from the Justice Department on Friday, and it’s up to Garland to decide whether to release the second volume publicly.
