Senate Republicans slapped Jack Smith with a game-changing threat he can’t ignore
The witch hunts against Donald Trump are coming to an end. Now we need answers.
And Senate Republicans slapped Jack Smith with a game-changing threat he can’t ignore.
Senate Republicans are doubling down on demands for transparency from the Justice Department and FBI, urging them to preserve all records tied to special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump.
In a pointed letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Jack Smith himself, Senators Charles Grassley of Iowa and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin called for the preservation of all relevant documents for future congressional oversight.
Their concern? That the investigations into Trump’s activities may have been tainted by political bias.
The senators highlighted allegations from whistleblowers that former FBI agent Timothy Thibault played a key role in initiating investigations into Trump — cases later pursued by Smith.
Thibault, they noted, was found to have violated the Hatch Act due to his overt anti-Trump partisanship.
The Hatch Act bars federal employees from engaging in political activities while performing their official duties.
“Due to the apparent political bias of FBI officials that were involved in the genesis of a case against former President Trump, preservation of special counsel Smith’s records is more important than ever,” Grassley and Johnson wrote.
“If a politically charged case is to be opened, it must be done the right way and free from political bias.”
The senators also raised alarms about potential leaks to the media by investigators, further undermining the impartiality of the process.
They pointed to past instances where evidence sought by Congress had been destroyed — such as when members of Robert Mueller’s team wiped their phones or when laptops tied to the 2016 Hillary Clinton email probe were destroyed.
House Republicans are echoing the call for accountability.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio and Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia recently demanded that Smith maintain all records related to the Justice Department’s unprecedented raid of Trump’s Florida residence in the classified documents case.
Smith, who has faced mounting scrutiny, has hit a series of legal roadblocks in his cases against Trump.
He recently signaled to an appeals court that he’s pausing a battle over classified documents after the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the case in July.
The dismissal, issued by Judge Aileen Cannon of the Southern District of Florida, stemmed from questions about Smith’s standing to bring the case, as he was a private citizen at the time of his appointment as special counsel.
Further complicating matters, a federal judge in Washington has scrapped all deadlines in Smith’s prosecution of Trump over the 2020 election, signaling the unraveling of yet another case.
Reports suggest that Smith intends to resign before Trump takes office — a move that critics argue only adds to the perception of partisanship and lack of accountability within the Justice Department.
As Republicans push for answers, the stage is set for a renewed focus on rooting out political bias and ensuring fairness in the justice system under Trump’s incoming administration.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
