The U.S. Office of Special Counsel has launched an investigation into former Special Counsel Jack Smith to determine whether he violated the Hatch Act, a law restricting political activity by federal employees, several U.S. media outlets reported Saturday.
The inquiry follows accusations from allies of President Donald Trump, who claim Smith’s prosecutions were politically motivated and aimed at disrupting Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.
Smith, who was appointed by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022—just three days before Trump officially announced his reelection bid—led two federal investigations into Trump. One focused on classified documents found at Trump’s Florida residence, and the other on alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
Though both investigations resulted in criminal charges, Trump denied any wrongdoing, pleaded not guilty, and the cases were later dropped after he returned to office in the 2024 election.
Republican Senator Tom Cotton said earlier this week on X that Smith's actions "were nothing more than a tool for the Biden and (former Vice President Kamala) Harris campaigns," calling it "very likely illegal campaign activity from a public office." He also criticised Smith for pushing a rapid trial schedule, with jury selection set to begin just two weeks before the Iowa caucuses.
Smith resigned following Trump’s victory but defended his decisions in a final report released in January.
"The ultimate decision to bring charges against Mr. Trump was mine. It is a decision I stand behind fully," Smith wrote, stressing that neither Garland nor any other Department of Justice official influenced his decisions.
In the report, he said claims that he was politically motivated were “laughable,” and argued that the evidence against Trump was strong.
"The throughline of all of Mr. Trump’s criminal efforts was deceit—knowingly false claims of election fraud—and the evidence shows that Mr. Trump used these lies as a weapon to defeat a federal government function foundational to the United States’ democratic process," he wrote.
The Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal agency, cannot prosecute Smith but can recommend disciplinary action and refer its findings to the Department of Justice for possible criminal proceedings.
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The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration lifted a nationwide ground stop on Friday (13 November) after a communications failure at air traffic control centres caused chaos at airports and triggered the longest nationwide shutdown since the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
More than 30 people have been taken to hospital after a cargo ship collided with a passenger cruise docked on the Mississippi River in New Orleans on Friday (13 November).
Europe will send a team of diplomats to Ukraine peace talks rather than a single envoy, EU leaders agreed on Friday at the end of a summit in Dublin.
Saudi Arabia said it intercepted two Houthi ballistic missiles targeting Riyadh and three drones in its oil-rich Eastern Province on Sunday (15 November), as Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed separate attacks on a U.S. military facility in Bahrain.
Türkiye and Qatar signed a mutual defence agreement on Friday, November 13, aimed at strengthening collective security and regional stability. The two countries pledged to take a united stance against any external armed attack on either nation.
Italy's data protection agency said on Saturday it had fined Meta Platforms €805 million ($887 million) after finding the company had accessed Android users' photographs and videos without obtaining their consent or informing them.
SpaceX's spacecraft on Saturday returned from a 22-hour voyage in orbit and descended for the first time into the grasp of giant mechanical arms at the Texas tower it was launched from a day earlier, a catch that is essential to the company's decade-long effort to develop a fully reusable rocket.
The Philippines and Australia signed a new defence cooperation arrangement in Manila on Sunday, aimed at accelerating joint military activities and strengthening security ties amid tensions with China in the South China Sea.
Southeast Asian leaders opened the 49th ASEAN Summit in Manila Sunday, with Myanmar's crisis, security and economic uncertainty dominating talks. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called for continued engagement with Myanmar and urged a stronger response to conflict and energy disruptions.
U.S. air travel is not expected to return to normal schedules until late on Sunday (15 November), the head of the FAA said, as the aviation system gradually recovers from a nationwide flight shutdown that officials blamed on routine maintenance gone awry.
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