Who is DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith? Veteran prosecutor to oversee criminal probe involving Donald Trump

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In response to the appointment, Special counsel Jack Smith, said, "I intend to conduct the assigned investigations and any prosecutions that may result from them, independently and in the best traditions of the Department of Justice. The pace of the investigations will not pause or flag under my watch. I will exercise independent judgment and will move the investigations forward expeditiously and thoroughly to whatever outcome the facts and the law dictate.” The announcement of the appointment came three days after Trump launched his third run for the White House.

Who is John L 'Jack' Smith?

Jack began his professional career in 1994. He was initially appointed as an Assistant District Attorney with the New York County DA's Office. In 1999, he became an Assistant US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Between 2008 and 2010, he served with the International Criminal Court and managed war crime investigations. He returned to the Justice Department to serve as chief of the Public Integrity Section in 2010. Jack also had 30 prosecutors who handled public corruption and election crimes. In 2015, he was appointed as the First Assistant US Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. Jack also served as the chief prosecutor for the special court in the Hague charged with investigating and adjudicating war crimes in Kosovo, reported justice.gov.

Between 2017 and 2018, he served as the vice president of litigation for the Hospital Corporation of America, reported Business Insider. One of the prominent cases he dealt with includes when he prosecuted Virginia's former governor, Robert McDonnell, on a series of corruption charges, in 2015. Similarly, in the same year, they prosecuted former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling for leaking classified information. He has also supervised criminal prosecutors in violent and gang crimes, white-collar and financial fraud, and public corruption reported npr.org.

He has also won awards during his career, including the Director's Award from the Department of Justice, the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service, the Federal Bar Association's Younger Federal Attorney Award, the Eastern District Association's Charles Rose Award, and the Henry L Stimson Medal by New York County Bar Association. Meanwhile, he earned his Bachelor of Arts from the State University of New York, Oneonta, and his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1994.

'He better be fast, or he's not a solid pick'

The Internet quickly reacted to the appointment of special counsel. A user said, "So let me get this straight..Garland appoints Jack Smith as Spec Counsel to investigate Trump's personal docs raided by the FBI. Then why is WaPo reporting: “Agents & prosecutors found no discernible business interest in the Mar-a-Lago documents”AND...we all." Another added, Jack Smith looks like he metes out Justice with a long sword and a dagger." Another claimed, "It’s going to be 12-18 months of “Jack Smith and his angry democrats”.

Meanwhile, "Democrats are saying Jack Smith is 'beyond reproach.' The definition of 'beyond reproach': 'such that no criticism can be made; perfect. ie: 'his integrity is beyond reproach' NO ONE is perfect, and NO ONE is beyond reproach cc: @RepRaskin @chrislhayes @TheDemocrats." Another sated, "Jack Smith worked for George W. Bush’s and Trump’s DOJ Therefore he is biased and cannot investigate Trump See GOP This works both ways." "Don't know whether to laugh or cry as I hear Garland insisting how *independent* and *impartial* his pick for Special Counsel, Jack Smith, will be. THE RIGHT DOES NOT CARE! They are not good-faith actors! Apppeasing them does not work!," said Mehdi Hassan, host of Mehdi Hassan show. Harry Litman, LATimes Legal Affairs Columnist. said, "trump world combing through Jack Smith's primary school library records now.."

Another claimed, "It seems to be getting lost in the shuffle that Merrick Garland appointed a war crimes prosecutor at The Hague to investigate Donald Trump." A user added, "He better be fast, or he's not a solid pick. They've dinked around for 23 months since Jan 6. I assume they only need like one more?. A tweet read, "He also has a history of investigating corrupt Republicans and not bringing charges." Another user stated, "Trump has all but admitted his various criminal conduct, and Garland keeps pretending there’s a chance it’s all just an innocent mistake. Appointing a special prosecutor just makes him look weak. No one is above the law … Yeah, right."

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