A special counsel is taking over the ongoing investigation into ex-President Donald Trump. This was announced by US Attorney General Merrick Garland in Washington on Friday veteran prosecutor Jack Smith will oversee the investigation from now on.
Because of Trump’s announcement that he would run again in 2024 and President Joe Biden’s stated intention to do the same, there was a “public interest” warranting the appointment of special counsel, Garland argued. The 79-year-old Biden is considering a candidacy, but has not yet made an official decision.
The appointment of the special counsel underscores the Justice Department’s commitment to independence in particularly sensitive cases, Garland said. Trump described the move on his online platform Truth Social as “pathetic”. He later called the investigations a “witch hunt” and an “attack on our country’s largest political movement.”
The White House spokeswoman emphasized Friday afternoon (local time) in Washington: “As you know, the Justice Department makes independent decisions about its criminal investigations. We are not involved.”
Biden was also not informed of the appointment in advance. She rejected the accusation that it was a politically motivated action.
Trump has criticized the investigation as a whole as politically motivated and has long complained that it was merely an attempt by his opponents to prevent him from returning to the White House.
Attorney Jack Smith, who works at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, among others, would be investigating secret government documents that Trump kept in his private residence Mar-a-Lago after his departure.
The FBI searched the Florida estate in August and seized several classified documents, some with the highest level of secrecy. By keeping the documents in his private residence long after Trump left office, he could have committed a criminal offense. It is still unclear whether Trump can ultimately be indicted.
On the other hand, the special investigator should handle parts of the investigation into the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. 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 Biden’s election victory official. 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 conducting extensive research into the attack and those involved for some time. However, it is still unclear whether the ministry could also prosecute the ex-president for his role in it.
Smith is a seasoned prosecutor with a variety of professional stints in the United States and abroad. From 2008 to 2010, he worked at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, overseeing war crimes investigations.
As of 2010, he led a team of prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice handling public corruption and election abuse cases. Most recently, Smith served as a prosecutor in a special court in The Hague charged with investigating and adjudicating war crimes in Kosovo.
After the appointment, he assured that he would conduct the investigation and subsequent prosecution actions “independently and in the best tradition of the Department of Justice”. The investigation would not stop or slow down under his supervision. “I will make an independent judgment and proceed with the investigation promptly and thoroughly” based solely on what the facts and the law dictate.
Trump announced Tuesday evening at his home in Florida that he was running for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election. He is the first to announce an official candidacy for president.
Biden has repeatedly emphasized that he generally intends to run for a second term. However, he has not yet taken a concrete decision on this, but will announce it before the beginning of the year. Before that, he wanted to consult with his family.
(dsc/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.
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