Washington, 3 August (H.S.): Federal officials announced an investigation into former special counsel Jack Smith, who previously led cases against President Donald Trump. The Office of the Special Counsel (OSC) confirmed the investigation but provided no further details. Smith was appointed in 2022 to probe Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents and attempts to interfere with the 2020 election. While the OSC cannot file criminal charges, it can take disciplinary action or refer findings to the Department of Justice, as it investigates federal rule violations by civil service members.
Reports indicate that the OSC's inquiry into Smith involves alleged Hatch Act violations, which ban political activities by government officials. This investigation follows calls from Republican Senator Tom Cotton for the OSC to look into what he described as unprecedented interference in the 2024 election.
Smith had been appointed by former Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee investigations into Trump, which resulted in criminal charges against the president, who has proclaimed the prosecutions as politically motivated. Those cases were closed following Trump’s election victory in November 2024 when DOJ rules barred prosecuting a sitting president.
Cotton characterized the charges as partisan tools for the Biden and Harris campaigns, suggesting they amounted to illegal campaign activities from a public office. The OSC's current investigation follows the dismissal of its former head, Hampton Dellinger, by Trump after he advocated for the reinstatement of probationary federal employees laid off during Trump's administration.
Although Dellinger’s firing was later ruled unlawful, the Circuit Court permitted the Trump administration to fill the position during the ongoing legal dispute.This is not the first time a former government official has faced an investigation during the Trump administration. Previously, the Secret Service investigated former FBI director James Comey over accusations related to a social media post, while investigations into Comey and former CIA director John Brennan for false statements made to Congress have also emerged, with Brennan viewing these as politically motivated.
---------------
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
