Trump attacks 'fired' Jack Smith in late night rant after special counsel resigns

President-elect Donald Trump gloated on social media early Sunday morning, erroneously claiming that special prosecutor Jack Smith was "fired" by the Department of Justice in the days before Trump was set to retake the White House.

Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 to investigate federal cases against Trump, including the attempt to overturn the 2020 election results, and Trump's alleged attempt to conceal classified documents that belonged to the national archives. The investigations led to criminal charges that were ultimately dropped after Trump won the 2024 presidential election.

Smith made no formal announcement about his resignation, which appeared as a footnote "buried in court papers," The New York Times reported.

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Trump wrote on TruthSocial, "Deranged Jack Smith was fired today by the DOJ. He is a disgrace to himself, his family, and his Country. After spending over $100,000,000 on the Witch Hunt against TRUMP, he left town empty handed!"

In fact, Smith resigned from the DOJ on Friday in an unsurprising move just 10 days before Trump's inauguration. According to CNBC, "His departure was expected, as Smith indicated he would leave before Trump took office, and because the president-elect planned to fire the special counsel if he did not resign."

Trump's team has continued to fight the release of the special prosecutor's final report on the alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. A federal appeals court ruled that the report can be released, but it also imposed an injunction "requiring a three-day delay to allow for further appeals."

Trump can still ask the U.S. Supreme Court to block the release of the report, but so far, the president-elect has not indicated if he will do so. If Trump fails to mount the final appeal, the report could be released to the public sometime Sunday.