Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, and President Trump’s name was rarely mentioned. The White House also sought to make political hay of the release of photos of Bill Clinton.

Several members of Congress criticized the department’s No. 2, Todd Blanche, after he said more documents would be coming weeks late.

© Pete Marovich for The New York Times

Even adversaries of Jack Smith, the former special counsel, conceded that his tight-lipped, painstaking approach made tripping him up particularly difficult.

© Anna Rose Layden for The New York Times