Smith is the right choice to complete these matters in an even-handed and urgent manner,” Garland said. In that position, Smith oversaw the case of former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling, who was convicted in 2015 of disclosing national defense information and obstructing justice.From 2010 to 2015, Smith worked with the Justice Department as chief of the public integrity section, where he managed a team of more than 30 prosecutors "who handled public corruption and election crimes cases" in the U.S., Garland said.Zoom in: Smith most recently served as a chief prosecutor for the special court in The Hague, where he investigated war crimes in Kosovo, Garland said. I will exercise independent judgment and will move the investigations forward expeditiously and thoroughly to whatever outcome the facts and the law dictate," Smith said in a statement, per MSNBC. “The pace of the investigations will not pause or flag under my watch. “I am confident that this appointment will not slow the completion of these investigations,” he added.Representatives for Trump did not respond to Axios' request for comment.ĭetails: Smith will be tasked with prosecuting federal crimes that arise from the investigations, Garland said at a news conference Friday.The special counsel will take over two of the most explosive investigations involving a former president in modern political history.Why it matters: The appointment of a special counsel is intended to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, and comes three days after Trump launched his 2024 presidential campaign. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Friday that he is appointing veteran prosecutor Jack Smith as a special counsel to oversee the federal criminal investigations into former President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and handling of classified documents.
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