The U.S. Department of Justice Merrick Garland has appointed an independent special prosecutor for the ongoing investigation into former President Donald Trump. Garland announced this on Friday during a brief announcement in Washington.
In certain exceptional cases, it is in the public interest to appoint special counsel to conduct the investigation independently, he said. In this case, since Trump has announced a re-election to the presidency and incumbent President Joe Biden has expressed his general intention to run again, it is in the public interest to entrust the investigation to an independent investigator.
New special counsel Jack Smith will be tasked with investigating classified government documents that Trump kept at his private Mar-a-Lago residence long after he left office. The FBI searched the Florida estate in August and seized several classified documents, some with the highest level of secrecy. Keeping the documents in his private home after Trump left the White House could have made him liable to prosecution. It is still unclear whether Trump can ultimately be indicted.
On the other hand, the new special investigator should handle parts of the investigation into the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. After an inflammatory speech by Trump, Republican supporters violently stormed the convention center in Washington that day. At the time, they wanted to prevent Congress from making official the election victory of Trump’s successor Biden. A congressional committee of inquiry spent months investigating the attack. Several witnesses there have heavily charged Trump with their statements. The Ministry of Justice has also been investigating the attack for some time. However, it is still unclear whether the ministry can also prosecute the former president criminally. (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
