Judge permanently blocks release of Trump classified documents report

Published February 23, 2026 11:05am ET



A federal judge permanently barred the Justice Department on Monday from releasing the portion of former special counsel Jack Smith’s final report detailing his investigation into President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents, delivering a sharp rebuke of the prosecutor’s actions after the case had already been dismissed.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, granted requests from Trump and former co-defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira to prohibit publication of the report’s second volume and ordered that it not be released or shared by Attorney General Pam Bondi or any future DOJ leadership.

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