A couple of years back, it seemed that the leftist campaign to take down Donald Trump was gaining traction. He faced debanking by JPMorgan Chase, and state and federal lawsuits piled up like stacks of pancakes. Former Attorney General Merrick Garland’s enforcer, ex-Special Counsel Jack Smith, brought forth two significant cases against Trump when he was a private citizen: one related to election interference and the other to classified documents.
But then, an unexpected twist occurred on the path to losing the Oval Office, the House, and the Senate. Many of the cases — such as Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis’ indictment for alleged election interference — began to unravel. Not only did the Left fail to dismantle Trump’s influence, but he also managed to reclaim the presidency.
On Monday brought another round of embarrassment for Smith, as a federal judge blocked the release of his final report concerning the classified documents Trump allegedly stored improperly at his Mar-a-Lago residence:
A federal judge on Monday agreed to permanently block the release of volume two of former special counsel Jack Smith’s report — centered on President Donald Trump’s handling of classified materials after his first term in office — in a significant victory for the president and his co-defendants.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, granted the president’s request to permanently block the release of the second volume of the report, ruling that its publication would represent a “manifest injustice” both to Trump and the co-defendants in the classified documents case.
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Cannon went the extra mile, too, to hit Smith for acting “without lawful authority”:
? Judge Cannon has permanently blocked the DOJ from releasing Volume II of former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s final report.
Read the order here: https://t.co/O12bQQ1qHb pic.twitter.com/q8dP1gWnvg
— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) February 23, 2026
For now, anyway, it seems as though Smith’s likely very politicized report will never see the light of day:
The ruling blocks the Justice Department from “releasing, distributing, conveying, or sharing with anyone outside the Department of Justice any information or conclusions in Volume II or in drafts thereof.”
It also comes just day before Volume II of Smith’s special counsel probe was slated to be released on Tuesday.
During congressional testimony in January, Smith faced significant criticism from Republicans. At one point, he struggled to remember whether he had even taken an oath of office:
.@RepBrandonGill is so good at this.
Congressional hearings with him are masterclasses in questioning
Short, easy to understand, and cutting pic.twitter.com/6GecDVYW8K
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 22, 2026
In July 2024, Judge Cannon ruled that Smith’s appointment as special counsel was unconstitutional. Following Trump’s victory in the November 2024 presidential election, the Department of Justice officially put the case on hold. As a result, Cannon determined that the defendants—including Trump, along with former Mar-a-Lago employees Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira—would face “irreparable damage” to their reputations.
It’s tough to muster any sympathy for the controversial Smith, who took part in what many see as a bold government-led witch hunt. His failed cases seem destined for the dustbin of history, and it appears that Cannon’s ruling will ensure that they stay there. The biggest blow? The leftist media, which had been eagerly anticipating headlines about the situation.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has permanently barred the report by special counsel Jack Smith on his investigation into President Donald Trump’s hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate from being released to the public.
Cannon granted the request that came… pic.twitter.com/COrIARlf3l
— Ryan Shead (@RyanShead) February 23, 2026
The tweet added: “Cannon granted the request that came directly from president trump.”
