Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are urging Attorney General Merrick Garland to release the rest of special counsel Jack Smith's report on President-elect Donald Trump's handling of classified documents, even if it means dismissing charges against his co-defendants .

Democrats on the panel, led by Ranking Member Jamie Raskin of Maryland, said in a letter to Garland that Americans "have a right to know" how the second part of the Smith report details the targeting of Trump's accusation: He knowingly withheld defense information After he left office, he conspired with two aides at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to prevent officials from retrieving the records.

"As Attorney General, you have a responsibility to take all necessary steps to ensure that this report is released before the end of your term, including, if necessary, dismissing the remaining criminal charges against Mr. Trump's co-conspirator Waltine Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira,” they wrote in the letter released Thursday.

Garland said he would not release the second volume of the Smith report, which focuses on the classified documents case, while the charges against Nota and de Oliveira are ongoing.

The Democratic lawmakers said in the letter that any concerns that dismissing the case could lead to further corruption "are overshadowed by numerous indications that Mr. Trump will end the prosecution of his co-conspirators anyway once he takes office and then direct his Justice Department to permanently Buried” this report. "

The classified documents case against Trump was dropped after Trump won the election, with Smith citing the Justice Department's longstanding policy of not prosecuting sitting presidents. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.

Smith resigned on Friday after leading two federal investigations into Trump's handling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, which resulted in indictments but no trials.

The first volume of his final report was released this week. The report stated that Trump "incited his supporters to commit acts of physical violence" when the U.S. Capitol was attacked on January 6, 2021, and deliberately promoted false claims of election fraud after losing the 2020 presidential election.

Over the past year, Garland has released several high-profile reports drafted by special counsels he appointed, including Robert Hull's report on President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents, and David Wynn's Trump's report on Hunter Biden's tax and gun charges.

On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to prosecute his political opponents during his second term. Senate Democrats on Wednesday asked Trump's nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, whether she would take those actions at Trump's request during her confirmation hearing. Bondi said she would not politicize the attorney general's office or "target people just because of their politics."