As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to assume office, he is reportedly planning sweeping changes to the Department of Justice.
The Washington Examiner reported that Trump is set to remove the entire special counsel team led by Jack Smith and shift DOJ focus to probing the 2020 election.
After a contentious election cycle and subsequent legal battles, Trump, who was recently elected to serve as president once again, has expressed intentions to overhaul the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Key to his plans is the dismissal of the entire team of special counsel Jack Smith, including long-standing career attorneys often protected from political fallout.
Trump has long criticized the DOJ, claiming bias and misconduct, especially in the investigations that targeted him directly.
His decision to fire all members of Jack Smith’s team comes after a series of legal challenges against him, including indictments for retaining classified documents and efforts to overturn the election results. The president-elect has asserted that these actions are part of broader plans to "correct" the DOJ.
In response to his impending presidency, Trump is not only shaking up personnel but also redirecting the Justice Department's focus. He announced plans to initiate a new investigation into the 2020 presidential election, continuing his claims of a fraudulent loss to Joe Biden.
This move aligns with his longstanding promise to target what he considers corrupt electoral processes.
Leading up to these drastic changes was a tumultuous legal journey for Trump, marked by significant indictments.
In June 2023, Special Counsel Jack Smith, who had been appointed to investigate Trump, indicted the then-former president for unlawfully retaining classified documents and obstructing their retrieval. Then, in August, Trump faced additional charges related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and his role in the January 6 Capitol attack.
Despite these legal woes, Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges, and the case involving classified documents was eventually dismissed.
However, these cases experienced numerous delays, often due to prolonged appeals from Trump's legal team, including a significant challenge to Trump’s immunity that escalated to the Supreme Court.
On the political front, Trump's aggressive stance has intensified. Acknowledging the changing of the guard at the DOJ, Jack Smith indicated he would resign and wrap up his federal cases against Trump before January.
This shift coincides with Trump's promise, articulated by his press secretary Karoline Leavitt, to fire "rogue bureaucrats" involved in the "illegal weaponization" of the justice system.
Further escalating his combative approach, Trump took to Truth Social in September to assert that his administration would prosecute those he accuses of corrupting the election process.
“Those involved in unscrupulous behavior will be sought out, caught, and prosecuted at levels, unfortunately, never seen before in our Country,” Trump proclaimed, highlighting a broad legal threat against lawyers, political operatives, and election officials he deems corrupt.
In light of these developments, House Republicans have taken procedural steps to ensure legal scrutiny remains possible. They've instructed DOJ staff involved in the cases against Trump to preserve their communications, anticipating potential congressional investigations.
This directive suggests a legislative angle to the forthcoming thorough examination and possible re-evaluations of the Trump-related legal actions taken by the DOJ.