Jack Smith Warns: America Faces 'Incalculable' Consequences of Trump Administration Actions

Special counsel Jack Smith, who led criminal cases against Donald Trump, warned that the Trump administration’s attacks on government officials could have an “incalculable” cost to the US. He also warned that judicial independence must be protected from political pressure. Jack Smith criticized the Trump administration for targeting officials (Photo by Jim WATSON and SAUL LOEB / AFP) Jack Smith, the special counsel who brought two criminal cases against then-former President Donald Trump, spoke critically of the Trump administration in an interview. Smith, who resigned from the Justice Department in January, warned that attacks on government officials could have an “incalculable” cost to the country. “I think the attacks on public officials, especially nonpartisan public officials — I think it has a cost to our country that’s incalculable, and I think that we — it’s hard to communicate to people how much it’s going to cost us,” Smith said during an interview last week with former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissman at University College London Faculty of Law. Smith’s investigations Smith-led investigations that led to two charges against Trump: one related to the handling of classified documents, and another over efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Trump has denied wrongdoing and dismissed both cases as politically motivated “witch hunts”. The classified documents case was later dismissed by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, who ruled that Smith’s appointment was illegal. Smith dropped the 2020 election case after Trump’s re-election in November, citing Justice Department policy on impeaching sitting presidents. Threats to judicial independence Smith warned against pressure on the judiciary and prosecutors, saying they “shouldn’t think of their jobs as popularity contests.” “They need the room and space to make decisions that some people might not like,” Smith said. Justice Department Action Against Officials Since Trump took office, the administration has targeted officials who worked on civil and criminal cases against him. This includes actions against FBI agents related to Smith’s investigations. New developments include the indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James on bank fraud charges and the recent indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, who clashed with Trump over the Russia investigation. Trump also suggested that Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., could be investigated.