Former Trump prosecutor Jack Smith faces investigation by US watchdog • FRANCE 24 English

Jack Smith, the man who investigated Donald Trump in the leadup to the 2024 presidential election, is now himself being investigated by the Office of Special Counsel. As first reported in US media, the US Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal agency, confirmed to NBC News on Saturday that it’s investigating Smith for alleged violations of the Hatch Act, a law that prohibits certain political activities by government officials. Trump and his allies have not presented specific evidence of wrongdoing. Unlike the type of special counsel’s office previously led by Jack Smith, the office of special counsel or the OC is an independent agency that can’t bring criminal charges but can recommend disciplinary actions like removing federal employees or referring findings to the Department of Justice for further investigation. The decision follows a complaint by Republican Senator Tom Cotton, who claims without evidence that Smith violated the Hatch Act, a federal law that bars public officials from political activity. He says Smith’s actions supported Joe Biden and Kla Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign before Biden’s withdrawal. Donald Trump then went on to win the presidency. Jack Smith was appointed special counsel in November 2022 to oversee the federal investigations into Trump, who announced he’d be running for president 3 days before Smith’s appointment. Jack Smith then went on to indict Trump on two criminal charges, but resigned just days before Trump’s 2024 inauguration, leaving both cases unresolved. He has since denied any wrongdoing.

An independent watchdog agency responsible for enforcing a law against partisan political activity by federal employees has opened an investigation into Jack Smith, the Justice Department special counsel who brought two criminal cases against then-candidate Donald Trump before his election to the White House last year. The Office of Special Counsel confirmed that it was investigating Smith on allegations he engaged in political activity through his inquiries into Trump.
#USA #Trump #justice

🔔 Subscribe to France 24 now: https://f24.my/YTen
🔴 LIVE – Watch FRANCE 24 English 24/7 here: https://f24.my/YTliveEN

🌍 Read the latest International News and Top Stories: https://www.france24.com/en/

Like us on Facebook: https://f24.my/FBen
Follow us on X: https://f24.my/Xen
Bluesky: https://f24.my/BSen and Threads: https://f24.my/THen
Browse the news in pictures on Instagram: https://f24.my/IGen
Discover our TikTok videos: https://f24.my/TKen
Get the latest top stories on Telegram: https://f24.my/TGen

16 comments

  1. What pissed me off at the time, and I said so, was that he quit as soon as Trump was elected. He should have shown up for work (he works for ME), until they fired him and sent Security to clean out his desk. That's pretty incriminating Hatch Act-wise, if you ask me.

Comments are closed.