OPINION:
The Office of the Special Counsel, following a request from Sen. Tom Cotton, is investigating former special counsel Jack Smith for violating the Hatch Act and abusing his political appointment to wrongfully target Donald Trump for supposed crimes committed in 2020.
Smith should be worried.
He can deny he used his appointment by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland to prevent Trump from becoming president in 2024 all he wants. Fact is, the facts suggest otherwise. And not just suggest. Strongly suggest.
Look at the timeline: On Nov. 15, 2022, Trump announced he was running against Joe Biden for president. On Nov. 18, 2022, Garland announced he was appointing Smith as special counsel to investigate Trump for conspiracy to overthrow the results of the 2020 election and for concealing classified documents tied to his first presidency at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. In June of 2023, Trump was indicted on 37 federal counts for the documents’ charges. That trial kicked off Aug. 14, 2023. Also in August of 2023, Trump was indicted on four federal counts for the conspiracy charges — tied to his remarks on Jan. 6, 2021. On Nov. 25, 2024, shortly after Trump won reelection to the White House, Smith dropped all charges.
The elephant in the room asks this: If Trump’s crimes were so egregious, why was he not charged until he announced he was running for president again?
Not only were the formal charges tied to the near-exact moment in time when Trump announced a run for reelection — but their dismissals were also tied to the near-exact moment in time when Trump won reelection.
Trump’s entire campaign for reelection was dogged by court proceedings, seedy accusations, legal distractions, social media and media harping on the headlines that were created day after day after day on that day’s court proceedings; that day’s legal activity; that day’s MAGA-hating media discussion; that day’s Smith sightings; that day’s — et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
And needlessly so — because the charges could have been brought years earlier.
And needlessly so — because in the end, all the charges were dismissed.
The 37 federal counts were actually dismissed by Judge Aileen Cannon in mid-July of 2024 — only to be appealed by Team Smith — only to be dropped by Team Smith after Trump won his reelection.
“Jack Smith’s actions were clearly driven to hurt President Trump’s election, and Smith should be held fully accountable,” Senate Intelligence Committee chair Cotton said.
Yes.
Smith’s investigative and pit-bull prosecutorial timing was suspicious. And arrogant.
But don’t expect justice to prevail.
Here’s how the media are already hustling to defend Smith. From The Daily Beast — this headline: “MAGA Sycophant Orders Revenge Plot on Trump Prosecutor.”
Still, Smith should be sweating. This administration still has years to govern. Republicans still have months of control in both houses of Congress. At the very least, Smith will have to come out of hiding and leave behind any vacation plans and abandon any hope of jetting into the horizon for rest and relaxation and peace. He’ll have to face the tarnishing. He’ll have to face more public scrutiny, and criticisms, and condemnations, and uncomfortable allegations. And there are many, many more for the anti-Trump faction who deserve that, and then some.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley. Listen to her podcast “Bold and Blunt” by clicking HERE. And never miss her column; subscribe to her newsletter and podcast by clicking HERE. Her latest book, “God-Given Or Bust: Defeating Marxism and Saving America With Biblical Truths,” is available by clicking HERE.
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