Dems make surprising request to allow release of Mar-a-Lago classified documents report

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have asked attorney general Merrick Garland to drop federal charges against Donald Trump's two co-defendants in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case.

The panel's Democrats, including ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), sent a letter to the attorney general Thursday morning asking for charges to be dropped against Walt Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira to ensure the Department of Justice can release the rest of special counsel Jack Smith's final report on the president-elect's alleged crimes, reported CBS News.

"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," the Democratic lawmakers wrote.

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"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," they added in the letter. "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, have been accused of obstructing the investigation into Trump's handling of sensitive government materials after he lost reelection in 2020, and both have pleaded not guilty.

Garland released the first volume of Smith's report on his investigation into Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss, which culminated in the Jan. 6 insurrection, and Florida-based federal judge Aileen Cannon has scheduled a hearing for Friday on releasing the second volume, which she has said should remain sealed while charges are pending against the pair of co-defendants.

Cannon dismissed the charges against Trump last summer after ruling that Smith was improperly appointed by the attorney general, saying that he should have been confirmed by the Senate instead, and the Jan. 6 charges were dropped after he won re-election in November.

"To the extent that such a decision to dismiss these cases might encourage these defendants to keep enabling the corruption of their superiors, those concerns are outweighed by the many indications that Mr. Trump will simply end the prosecutions against his co-conspirators upon taking office anyway and then instruct his DOJ to permanently bury this report," the Democratic lawmakers wrote. "Mr. Trump has not been secretive about his plans to weaponize the DOJ for his own personal whims and preferences."