Former DOJ Prosecutor Jack Smith at the Kosovo Special Chambers court in The Hague, Netherlands, November 9, 2020. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith as special counsel on Friday to oversee two meetings. investigations involving Donald Trump.
Jerry Lampen/AP
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Jerry Lampen/AP
Former DOJ Prosecutor Jack Smith at the Kosovo Special Chambers court in The Hague, Netherlands, November 9, 2020. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith as special counsel on Friday to oversee two meetings. investigations involving Donald Trump.
Jerry Lampen/AP
Attorney General Merrick Garland said he has charged former Justice Department prosecutor Jack Smith with overseeing two major Justice Department investigations into former President Donald Trump in the best interest of the public.
Smith will be responsible for overseeing the criminal investigation into whether an individual or entity interfered with the transition of power following the 2020 presidential election, as well as the investigation into whether the records and whether classified documents were obtained from Trump’s home in Florida.
The announcement comes three days after Trump launched his third run for the White House.
In Announcement of Smith’s appointment, Garland called Smith “the right choice to get these matters done fairly and urgently.” Here’s a look at Smith’s background and career.
Most recently he investigated war crimes
Smith most recently worked at the International Criminal Court at The Hague in the Netherlands, investigating and prosecuting war crimes. The DOJ said Smith has conducted “sensitive investigations” into foreign government officials and militia members on charges related to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. .
From 2008 to 2010, he was the investigative coordinator at the prosecutor’s office of the International Criminal Court.
Smith served as head of the DOJ . public integrity unit
From 2010 to 2015, Smith was the head of DOJ’s public integrity unitoversee investigations and prosecutions of federal crimes that affect government integrity, according to DOJ. This includes dealing with cases such as bribery of government officials and election crimes, and investigating and prosecuting elected and appointed officials at all levels.
In 2015, Smith and his team indicted the former governor of Virginia, Robert McDonnell, on a series of corruption allegations. That same year they prosecuted the former CIA agent Jeffrey Sterling for leaking classified information and obstructing justice.
He spent nearly a decade with the United States Attorney’s Office
Smith spent a total of nine years in various positions at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. He used to be the head of the criminal procedure department and the deputy head of the criminal division, according to DOJwhere he oversaw about 100 criminal prosecutors in cases including gang and violent crime, white collar, financial fraud and public corruption.
Smith has other notable roles and responsibilities
After leaving the DOJ in 2015, Smith moved to Tennessee, where he served as First Assistant United States Attorney and Acting United States Attorney for the Central District of Tennessee.
From there, he moved into the private sector, serving as vice president and chief litigation officer of Hospital Corporation of America; the nation’s largest non-governmental healthcare providers, according to The Kosovo Experts’ Chamber and the Specialist Prosecutor’s office.
Smith has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including the Attorney General’s Award, the Attorney General’s Award for Outstanding Service, the Young Federal Attorney’s Award from the Law Society, and the Attorney General’s Award. Attorney General, the Eastern District Association’s Charles Rose Award and the Henry L. Stimson Medal of the New York County Bar Association.
