Jack Smith, who led the case against Trump, is leaving the US Department of Justice Politics News
A former war crimes prosecutor, Smith was appointed in November 2022 – almost two years after the attack on the US Capitol.
Jack Smith, the special prosecutor who led two federal cases against Donald Trump, left the United States Department of Justice earlier Republican President-elect he was inaugurated on January 20 for a second term.
The two cases involve Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents after he left the White House and efforts to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election. Trump was charged in both cases overseen by Smith.
“The special counsel completed his work and submitted his final confidential report on January 7, 2025, and separated from the Department on January 10,” officials said in a document filed with U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, urging her last week not to renew her warrant. which blocks the publication of Smith’s final report.
The statement about Smith was a footnote in a filing to Cannon as she considers whether to keep the special counsel’s report on the two cases.
A former war crimes prosecutor, Smith was appointed in November 2022 – almost two years after Attack on the US Capitol – lead the Justice Department’s ongoing dual investigation into Trump.
He launched two of the four criminal cases Trump has faced since leaving office, but saw them stalled after a Trump-appointed Florida judge dismissed one and the U.S. Supreme Court found that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution for official acts. Not a single case came to trial.
After Trump defeated Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 election, Smith dropped both cases citing a longstanding Justice Department rule against the prosecution of sitting presidents. In asking the courts to throw out the charges, Smith’s team defended the merits of the cases they brought, signaling only that Trump’s impending return to the White House made them untenable.
Smith’s departure is another sign of the collapse of criminal cases against Trump, which could end with no legal consequences for the future president and lead to a backlash that helped fuel his political comeback.
Meanwhile, Trump, who has often called Smith “crazy” and said he would fire him immediately upon taking office, has suggested he may seek retaliation against Smith and others who investigated him when he returns to office.
