Merrick Garland appointed Jack Smith as special counsel for the DOJ’s investigation into the files found at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago along with “key aspects of a separate probe involving the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and efforts to undo the 2020 election.”
Has anything happened to anyone denying the 2016 election? Didn’t think so.
The move, announced just three days after Trump formally launched his 2024 candidacy, is a recognition of the unmistakable political implications of two investigations that involve not only a former president but also a current White House hopeful.Garland said Friday that Trump’s announcement of his presidential candidacy and President Joe Biden’s likely 2024 run were factors in his decision to appoint Jack Smith, a veteran prosecutor, to be the special counsel. Garland said the appointment would allow prosecutors to continue their work “indisputably guided” only by the facts and the law.“The Department of Justice has long recognized that in certain extraordinary cases, it is in the public’s interest to appoint a special prosecutor to independently manage an investigation and prosecution,” Garland said from the Justice Department’s podium. “Based on recent developments, including the former president’s announcement that he is a candidate for president in the next election and the sitting president’s stated intention to be a candidate as well, I have concluded that it is in the public interest to appoint a special counsel.”Though the appointment installs a new supervisor atop the probes — both of which are expected to accelerate now that the midterm elections are over — the special counsel will still report to Garland, who has ultimate say of whether to bring charges.
Smith used to work as an “assistant U.S. attorney and chief to the DOJ’s public integrity section.”
Since 2018, Smith has been in charge of “investigation and adjudicating war crimes in Kosovo” for the International Criminal Court.
The DOJ was quick to note that Smith is a registered independent. I guess they think that will make people think the investigations and special counsel are not political.
UPDATE
(by WAJ)
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