Jack Smith Calls the Justice Dept. 'Corrupted' by Trump and His Allies (NYT gift article)

[LetMyPeopleVote]

At a private event in Washington last month, Mr. Smith, the former special counsel, accused Justice Department leaders of targeting people for prosecution to please and impress the president.

Link to tweet

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/us/politics/jack-smith-justice-dept-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.gVA.MAn8.K8-zMDWLFD9u&smid=url-share

Jack Smith, the special counsel who twice indicted President Trump, accused the Justice Department of having been “corrupted” by Trump loyalists he claimed were demolishing its credibility and seeking to undermine the rule of law.

Mr. Smith’s remarks, made last month in a private discussion at the Cosmos Club in Washington, represented his sharpest criticism of the department since leaving his post early last year. They came at a time when Mr. Trump is demanding Mr. Smith be prosecuted for his work as special counsel — an outcome Mr. Smith believes is likely, according to people familiar with his thinking.

“We have a Department of Justice today that targets people for criminal prosecution simply because the president doesn’t like them,” Mr. Smith said in the hourlong discussion on April 20, according to a video obtained by The New York Times.

Mr. Smith, speaking in the deliberate cadence of a prosecutor delivering a closing argument, cited what he cast as the wholesale erosion of the department’s tradition of independence from the White House. “We have a department that fails to investigate cases because they might uncover facts that are inconvenient narratives the president would like to press,” he said.

“We have a department that fails to move on cases because they might uncover facts that are inconvenient to narratives the president would like to press,” added Mr. Smith, who was appointed in late 2022 to investigate Mr. Trump’s post-presidency retention of government documents and his push to overturn the 2020 election.

[hlthe2b]

1. One would wonder if he could be the answer as AG in a new Dem administration...

Having been held back from doing his work on the schedule I'm sure he found imperative by Merrick Garland leading to a failure to prosecute all of Trump's devastating crimes--as well as others involved, I'd bet he would not make that mistake overseeing anyone else. And, he clearly knows where the destruction of DOJ has occurred and undoubtedly ideas about how to repair.

[Cha]

2. TY Kick for Jack Smith.

Beyond Awful to be a brilliant Patriot and have to fight Fascist DOJ Nazis.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. MaddowBlog-Silent no more, Jack Smith calls out Trump's 'corrupted' Justice Department

The prosecutor wasn’t able to make his case in court, but months later, he’s bringing his arguments to the public in forceful and unrestrained ways.

Jack Smith wasn’t able to make his case in court, but with increasing frequency, he’s bringing his arguments to the public in forceful ways.

Given what he has to say, that’s very good news.
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-05-07T17:34:30.621Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/silent-no-more-jack-smith-calls-out-trumps-corrupted-justice-department

Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory marked the beginning of the end of then-special counsel Jack Smith’s criminal cases. Almost immediately after Election Day, the prosecutor and his team grudgingly wrapped up their work — not because they wanted to or because they lacked compelling evidence, but because of Justice Department guidelines related to prosecuting a sitting president.....

But nearly a year and a half later, the former special counsel has made the transition from a lawyer who preferred silence to one who has quite a bit to say. The New York Times reported:

Jack Smith, the special counsel who twice indicted President Trump, accused the Justice Department of having been “corrupted” by Trump loyalists he claimed were demolishing its credibility and seeking to undermine the rule of law.

Mr. Smith’s remarks, made last month in a private discussion at the Cosmos Club in Washington, represented his sharpest criticism of the department since leaving his post early last year.

“We have a Department of Justice today that targets people for criminal prosecution simply because the president doesn’t like them,” Smith said in the hourlong discussion on April 20, according to a video obtained by the Times that was shared with attendees. He added, “We have a department that fails to move on cases because they might uncover facts that are inconvenient to narratives the president would like to press.”.....

Soon after, during an interview with former prosecutor Andrew Weissmann at the University College London, Smith condemned Republican criticisms of his work as “ludicrous,” adding, “I think the attacks on public servants, particularly nonpartisan public servants — I think it has a cost for our country that is incalculable, and I think that we — it’s hard to communicate to folks how much that is going to cost us.”

More recently, Smith also delivered private and public testimony before the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee, which also didn’t do his Republican detractors any favors.

Smith was not able to make his case in court, but with increasing frequency, he’s bringing his arguments to the public in forceful and unrestrained ways.