Democrats urge Garland to drop case against 2 former Trump co-defendants, release rest of special counsel report

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are urging Attorney General Merrick Garland to consider dropping the federal charges against Donald Trump's former co-defendants in the classified documents case, Walt Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira, to ensure that the Justice Department can release the rest of special counsel Jack Smith's final report about Trump's alleged crimes.  "The American people now deserve the opportunity to read Volume 2 of Special Counsel Smith's report, which explains how President Trump knowingly retained hundreds of presidential and highly classified records at his Mar-a-Lago club and then deliberately defied subpoenas, obstructed law enforcement, hid evidence, and lied about his continuing retention of these records. It is in the very nature of American democracy that the people have a right to know of the public actions of their public officials, and it is essential to the rule of law that Justice Department special counsel reports continue to be available and accessible to the public. As Attorney General, it is incumbent upon you to take all necessary steps to ensure the report is released before the end of your tenure, including, if necessary, by simply dismissing the remaining criminal charges against Mr. Trump's co-conspirators, Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira."

Nauta, an aide to Trump, and de Oliveira, a former property manager at Mar-a-Lago, are accused of obstructing the investigation into Trump's handling of sensitive government documents after he lost reelection in 2020. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Garland previously said he would not publicly release the second part of Smith's report, which details the allegations in the documents case, because the proceedings involving Nauta and de Oliveira were ongoing.