In an certainly anticipated move, Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday appointed veteran prosecutor Jack Smith as special counsel for two ongoing federal investigations involving former President Donald Trump, just days after the former president announced that he will again aspire to the White House.
“Based on recent events, including the former president’s announcement that He will be a candidate for the presidency in the next elections.and the professed intent of the incumbent president to run as well, I have concluded that it is in the public interest to appoint a special controller,” Garland said in brief televised remarks, broadcast by the Justice Department.
The appointment, Garland said, “underscores the department’s commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters.”
Smith, a former career prosecutor, Justice Department veteran who is currently the chief prosecutor at The Hague’s special court for war crimes in Kosovo, will lead two investigations currently being led by Justice Department officials.
The first is an investigation into whether “any person or entity unlawfully interfered with the transfer of power after the 2020 presidential election or the certification of the vote of the Electoral Collegeheld on or about January 6, 2021,” Garland said.
The second investigation involves Trump’s handling of confidential documents and other records, as well as his possible obstruction of that investigation, he noted.
Smith will return to the United States and begin work immediately, Garland announced.
In a statement, Smith said: “I intend to conduct the assigned investigations, and any prosecutions that may result therefrom, independently and in the best traditions of the Department of Justice. The pace of investigations will not stop or slow under my supervision”.
Garland’s announcement came three days after Trump announced he would run for president in 2024, a move that complicated Justice Department investigations under Garland’s leadership. While the department operates independently of the White House, Garland is a political appointee who serves at the discretion of the president.
While defending the work of the current prosecutors leading the investigations, Garland nonetheless said that appointing a special counsel was “the right thing to do.”
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channel Youtube and activate notifications, or follow us on social networks: Facebook, Twitter and instagram.
