Trump appointee Aileen Cannon blocks release of Jack Smith's report on classified documents probe

Trump appointee Aileen Cannon blocks release of Jack Smith's report on classified documents probe Cannon in 2024 had ruled that Smith's appointment as special prosecutor was unlawful. Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that Jack Smith's report on his investigation into President Donald Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents should not be released. U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida; Getty Images Share Add NBC News to Google Feb. 23, 2026, 10:31 AM EST By Gary Grumbach , Rebecca Shabad and Ryan J. Reilly Listen to this article with a free account 00:00 00:00 U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon blocked the public release of former special counsel Jack Smith's report on his investigation into whether President Donald Trump mishandled classified documents after his first term in the White House. In an order filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Cannon wrote that the report should not be released outside of the Justice Department "due to the unlawful appointment of Special Counsel Smith and Attorney General Bondi’s deliberative-process determination." Cannon, a Trump appointee, wrote that Smith and his team prepared the report for months after she dismissed the classified documents case in July 2024 , ruling that his appointment as special counsel was unconstitutional. The Justice Department under President Joe Biden appealed that ruling, with then-Attorney General Merrick Garland telling NBC News that Smith's appointment was constitutional and valid. Cannon's ruling Monday contended that Smith "accelerated efforts" after her order until he left the DOJ in January 2025 to prepare and finalize the report "utilizing discover materials generated in this case." An appeals court found in 2022 that Cannon " improperly exercised equitable jurisdiction " in connection with the Mar-a-Lago search, and her opinions have been widely critiqued as extraordinarily deferential to the president who nominated her. Cannon said...