The Special Counsel Office is reportedly probing Jack Smith for possible election law violations
The US Office of Special Counsel has launched a formal investigation into the Justice Department prosecutor who led two federal criminal cases against Donald Trump, the New York Post has reported.
During the administration of Joe Biden, former Special Counsel Jack Smith led criminal investigations into Trump’s handling of classified documents and alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
Both cases led to criminal charges against Trump, who pleaded not guilty, but were closed after his November election victory due to Justice Department regulations barring prosecution of a sitting president.
The investigation reportedly followed a letter sent last week by Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), who urged acting Special Counsel Jamieson Greer to examine whether Smith “unlawfully took political actions to influence the 2024 election to harm then-candidate President Donald Trump.”
“Jack Smith’s legal actions were nothing more than a tool for the Biden and Kamala Harris campaigns. This isn’t just unethical, it is very likely illegal campaign activity from a public office,” Cotton said in his letter, as quoted by the New York Post.
Sen. Cotton accused Smith of taking overtly political actions aimed at disrupting Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign — including accelerating his investigations to secure trial dates that would coincide with key political events, such as the Iowa caucuses.
The independent agency responsible for policing partisan influence in the federal workforce has confirmed it is investigating Smith for potential violations of the Hatch Act, which bars most federal employees from using their official positions to interfere in elections or engage in overt political activity, according to the Washington Post.
Smith was appointed in 2022 to oversee the Justice Department’s investigations into Trump, resigned before the president’s inauguration.
