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Jack Smith Breaks Silence in London as GOP Demands Testimony
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith delivered rare public remarks in London about the state of the U.S. justice system.
www.breitbart.com
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith delivered rare public remarks in London about the state of the U.S. justice system as congressional Republicans demand that he testify about his handling of the Trump investigations and newly uncovered surveillance of GOP lawmakers.
Speaking last week at University College London’s Faculty of Laws with former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, Smith warned that attacks on “nonpartisan public servants” carry an “incalculable” cost for the country and stressed the importance of maintaining the independence of the judiciary. “They need the room and space to make decisions that some people might not like,” he observed, adding that judges and prosecutors “should not be thinking of their jobs as popularity contests.”
Smith, who resigned from the Department of Justice in January before President Trump’s return to office, had previously led two federal prosecutions of Trump—one concerning the handling of classified documents and another regarding efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Both cases were dropped earlier this year following Trump’s inauguration, consistent with long-standing DOJ policy not to prosecute sitting presidents. A separate court ruling from U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon found that Smith’s appointment as special counsel had been unlawful.
In his interview, Smith recalled his early years at the Manhattan district attorney’s office, saying that bringing or dismissing cases for political reasons would have been “inappropriate.” He noted being unaware of his colleagues’ political affiliations while serving as chief of the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, and he also cited bipartisan service under multiple administrations.
