Leer en Español
Days after Donald Trump announced his presidential candidacy for 2024, Merrick Garland called a press conference to announce that he hired a special counsel, Jack Smith, who will be in charge of the investigations against the former president.
This special prosecutor is to work on Trump’s alleged withholding of highly classified national security secrets at his Mar-a-Lago property, as well as on Trump’s actions following the 2020 election.
“Based on recent developments, including the former President’s announcement that he is a candidate for President in the next election, and the sitting President’s stated intention to be a candidate as well, I have concluded that it is in the public interest to appoint a special counsel,” Garland said last Friday, November 18.
“Such an appointment underscores the Department’s commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters. It also allows prosecutors and agents to continue their work expeditiously, and to make decisions indisputably guided only by the facts and the law,” he added.
As to the reasons for this decision, and considering that the investigations have been ongoing for several months, the current DOJ head did not specifically clarify why he appointed an attorney general.
Trump’s response: “This will not be a fair investigation”
The former president, of course, was not going to stand idly by watching the TV. Almost immediately, he spoke with Fox News and made it clear that he was “not going to partake” in the investigation.
“It’s not a fair situation what’s going on and I guarantee you, this will not be a fair investigation,” Trump continued. “But again, I thought this was all done or very close to being done. These people are corrupt, and yet they go after innocent people under the guise of legitimacy,” added the now-candidate for the presidency in 2024.
Who is Jack Smith?
A registered independent, Smith served as head of public integrity for the Department of Justice and was particularly involved in corruption-related cases.
In addition, since 2018 he has been the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where he has investigated and tried war crimes that took place in Kosovo.
Joaquín Núñez es licenciado en comunicación periodística por la Universidad Católica Argentina. Se especializa en el escenario internacional y en la política nacional norteamericana. Confeso hincha de Racing Club de Avellaneda. Contacto: [email protected] // Joaquín Núñez has a degree in journalistic communication from the Universidad Católica Argentina. He specializes in the international scene and national American politics. Confessed fan of Racing Club of Avellaneda. Contact: [email protected]