The press covers it widely as you might expect. They all appear to focus on this sentence to conclude Trump would have been convicted:
"As set forth above, the Office concluded that Mr. Trump's conduct violated several federal criminal statutes and that the admissible evidence would be sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction."
However, I think this is simply the test that the DoJ applies when it considers launching any lengthy and costly investigation. It means nothing in itself.
However, what you have to say is the amount of evidence gathered is as impressive as it is irrefutable, some of it caught on tape. It's impossible to believe he wouldn't have been convicted by an impartial jury. The case is overwhelming.
Trump's legal counsel Todd Blanche has submitted a 12-page legal memo setting out his reasons for opposing publication which Smith has attached to the report. That document is typical of Trump's approach to legal issues, just keep throwing bizarre legal arguments and appealing to delay and delay hoping the prosecution runs out of time or money or both.
As far as I can see nowhere does Blanche claim Trump is innocent but he does say that Smith must now acknowledge "President Trump's complete exoneration." This presumably means the election has somehow found Trump innocent, a ridiculous suggestion. Instead, he focuses on Smith's authority, his appointment, Trump's supposed immunity from prosecution, mistakes in applying the law, and a whole lot of other peripheral stuff.
In response, Trump tweeted: "Jack is a lamebrain prosecutor who was unable to get his case tried before the Election" which is exactly the sort of thing you expect from him faced with a detailed, almost watertight legal case against him. He blames the man.
In his covering letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Smith anticipated the ad hominem attacks and said:
"To all who know me well, the claim from Mr. Trump that my decisions as a prosecutor were influenced or directed by the Biden administration or other political actors is, in a word, laughable," he wrote.
Garland has been accused of foot-dragging and not starting the case until 8 January 2023 when the indictment was issued. I think this is a bit unfair. He had to be sure there was a strong case against a former president and even if he had kicked it off in early 2021, Trump is a master of delaying tactics who has been using money raised for his campaign to fund the massive legal costs so it was always going to take a long time.
Trump is going to get away with what is probably the worst crime in US history, and the worst that any democracy can ever face, the attempted overthrow of a legitimately elected government. That for me is the most disappointing thing. But the American people knew most if not all that Trump did in the run-up to 6 January 2021 and decided he was their man.
Smith's second report on the classified documents case won't be published because two of his co-conspirators could still see charges brought against them, but you can be sure that Trump will move as quickly as he can after 20 January to make sure that report never sees the light of day.
