The Office of Special Counsel in the United States has launched a formal investigation into former prosecutor Jack Smith, following allegations that he abused his position to politically influence Donald Trump's candidacy during the 2024 presidential election. The news was announced by American media and confirmed through an email discovered by The New York Post, sent by senior counsel Charles Baldis.
Jack Smith was appointed by the Biden administration's Attorney General, Merrick Garland, to investigate two major issues against Donald Trump: his handling of classified documents and his role in the January 6, 2021 events at the Capitol. However, both cases were dismissed by federal courts after Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. Smith resigned shortly after that, in the same month. The investigation was initiated by the Hatch Act Enforcement Unit – a federal law that prohibits public officials from engaging in political activity. Republican Senator Tom Cotton, who requested the investigation, stated that “Smith’s actions were intentional and directed to damage Donald Trump’s candidacy, favoring President Biden’s campaign”. According to him, Smith had deliberately accelerated the investigations to influence the first caucuses in Iowa and the dynamics of the presidential election, which he called “a pure abuse of public power”. Smith has not yet commented publicly on the investigation, but in previous statements he has insisted that his actions were in full compliance with the law and completely independent of any political influence.
This new development has also increased interest in the case of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, who was arrested on the eve of a visit to the White House, where a peace agreement with Serbia was expected to be signed. The accusation of political motivation for his arrest has existed previously in political circles in the region, but the investigation into Jack Smith – who also supervised other US prosecutors involved in the Thaçi case – has increased speculation that there may have been political influence in that case as well.
