Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday that the counsel, Jack Smith, will oversee an investigation into Trump’s handling of government documents and parts of an investigation into possible interference in the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of Electoral College votes on the 6 January 2021. when a crowd of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol. The announcement by Garland, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, could help the Justice Department confirm the impartiality of the Trump investigations. “I firmly believe that the normal procedures of this department can handle all investigations with integrity,” Garland said. “And I also believe that appointing a special counsel at this time is the right thing to do.” “The extraordinary circumstances presented here call for it,” he added, referring to “recent developments” including Trump’s 2024 presidential bid and indications that Biden intends to run again in two years. “Mr Smith is the right choice to complete these matters in an even-handed and urgent manner.” Smith is a former Justice Department prosecutor who is stepping down from the role of chief prosecutor for the special tribunal in The Hague investigating war crimes in Kosovo. In a statement Smith said he would “exercise independent judgment and . . . that the investigations proceed quickly and thoroughly to whatever outcome the facts and the law dictate.” The attorney general added that he was “confident” that Smith’s installation would not delay the investigations. Trump criticized the move on Friday, telling Fox News Digital that it was “the worst politicization of justice in our country” and “a disgrace.” “I’m not going to accept it,” the former president said. “The Republican party must stand up and fight.” Recommended The appointment adds yet another battle to a series of legal challenges facing Trump, including a Georgia subcommittee investigating possible wrongdoing after the 2020 election and a lawsuit filed by the New York attorney general against him and three of his adult children for allegedly defrauding their family business. Trump announced Tuesday that he will make a third bid for the White House, even as he faces a criminal investigation related to his handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort, as well as questions about Republicans’ poor showing related to him in the November 8 midterm elections. Federal agents searched Trump’s Florida estate in early August, angering his conservative base while rekindling fears of a chaotic presidency among moderates and independent voters. In 2017, the Justice Department appointed former FBI director Robert Mueller as special counsel to lead an investigation into ties between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia. Trump was never charged in connection with that investigation.
