The Department of Justice (DOJ) has been ordered to release documents related to any collaboration between former Special Counsel Jack Smith and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis concerning the prosecution of President Donald Trump. The ruling, issued by a federal judge on January 28, follows a lengthy legal battle over transparency.
Judicial Watch, a watchdog organization, filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in August 2023 seeking records that could reveal whether Willis requested or received federal support in prosecuting Trump and his associates. When the DOJ failed to comply, the group sued in October. Despite the dismissal of federal cases against Trump, the DOJ continued to withhold records, arguing that their release could interfere with enforcement proceedings.
Judge Dabney L. Friedrich rejected that argument, ruling that the cases against Trump were “closed — not pending or contemplated” and that the DOJ could no longer justify withholding the information. The court denied the DOJ’s motion to block the request and directed the agency to release the records or establish a valid exemption.
The DOJ is now required to meet with Judicial Watch by February 21 and update the court on the status of their discussions. Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton called the DOJ’s refusal to disclose the records “a scandal,” criticizing the agency’s lack of transparency.
This ruling comes after another legal setback for Willis. A Georgia court recently determined that she violated the state’s Open Records Act by failing to release documents related to her communications with Smith and the House January 6 committee. The court ordered her office to pay over $21,500 in legal fees.
Judicial Watch has confirmed receiving that payment from Willis’s office. However, the group continues to push for the release of documents that could shed light on any coordination between the DOJ and Willis in Trump’s prosecution.
