US officials begin probe against attorney who investigated criminal cases against Trump

The US federal government has launched an investigation against special counsel Jack Smith, who investigated criminal cases against former US President Donald Trump in 2022. The US Office of Special Counsel said on Saturday that it would look into Smith’s potential violation of the Hatch Act.

The Act in question restricts government employees from political involvement. The announcement of a probe came after Trump and his allies had previously alleged that Smith went after Trump without legal standing to thwart his second campaign for the presidency.

It is pertinent to note that Former Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith just three days before the president announced his reelection bid. Since then, GOP lawmakers have been pushing for the special prosecutor to be investigated.

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“Jack Smith’s legal actions were nothing more than a tool for the [former President] Biden and [former Vice President] Harris campaigns. This isn’t just unethical, it is very likely illegal campaign activity from a public office,” Senator Tom Cotton wrote in a Wednesday post on the social media platform X.

“Special Counsel Smith pushed for an out-of-the-ordinary, rushed trial for President Trump, with jury selection to begin just two weeks before the Iowa caucuses. No other case of this magnitude and complexity would come to trial this quickly,” the Arkansas senator added in a separate post.

What’s Smith’s take on the matter

Meanwhile, Smith has long defended his actions. “The ultimate decision to bring charges against Mr. Trump was mine. It is a decision I stand behind fully,” Smith wrote in his final report published in mid-January. He made it clear that neither Garland nor anyone else at the Department of Justice encouraged him to prosecute Trump.

“To all who know me well, the claim from 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 added. Amid political pressure, Smith ultimately had to resign from the Justice Department (DOJ) after Trump’s November win.

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He eventually dismissed charges against the POTUS, arguing that he would have secured a conviction against the leader if the legal battles had been tried in court. “The throughline of all of Trump’s criminal efforts was deceit, knowingly false claims of election fraud, and the evidence shows that Trump used these lies as a weapon to defeat a federal government function foundational to the United States’ democratic process,” Smith wrote at the time of his exit.

“Until Trump obstructed it, this democratic process had operated in a peaceful and orderly manner for more than 130 years,” he added. Earlier this month, Attorney General Pam Bondi fired 20 additional employees tied to Smith weeks before the Office of Special Counsel said it would investigate the prosecutor.

It is pertinent to note that the independent body can only research Smith’s action and seek disciplinary measures for the federal employee. Investigators can present their findings to the DoJ, and the department can eventually decide whether to press criminal charges.