U.S. federal officials say they have investigated former special counsel Jack Smith, who resigned from his position earlier this year, leading two criminal cases against President Donald Trump.
The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) confirmed to the BBC that an investigation into Mr Smith is underway but refused to add more details.
Mr. Smith was appointed as a special lawyer in 2022 to investigate Trump’s alleged misconduct in confidential documents and allegedly intervened in the 2020 election.
The OSC has no right to file criminal charges against Mr. Smith, but can file a disciplinary action or transfer its findings to the Department of Justice.
As an independent federal agency, the main function of the OSC is to investigate and resolve violations of federal rules by members of the U.S. civil servants.
It operates separately from the Special Lawyer Office under the Department of Justice – as Mr. Smith had previously led – unlike the OSC, the Department of Justice can file federal criminal charges under the Department of Justice.
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US media reported on Saturday that the OSC is investigating Mr. Smith’s alleged violation of the Hazard Act, which prohibits political activities of government officials.
This comes after Republican Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas called on the OSC to investigate Mr. Smith’s “unprecedented intervention in the 2024 election.”
Mr. Smith was attacked by former Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022 to oversee the federal investigation into Trump.
Both cases he investigated resulted in criminal charges against the president, who pleaded not guilty and tried to use prosecution as politically motivated.
The Justice Department regulations prohibit prosecution of a current president, and the case was later closed after Trump won the presidential election.
In an article on X earlier this week, Cotton viewed the investigation and allegations as “no more than a tool of the Biden and Harris movement.”
“It is likely an illegal campaign for public office,” Cotton wrote.
The BBC has asked Mr Smith’s lawyer to comment on the OSC investigation.
Dellinger advocates for trial federal employees after Dellinger advocates for trial federal employees was restored, and in February, Trump conducted an OSC investigation after he fired his former Hampton Delligner in February.
The judge later ruled that Mr. Dalinger’s shooting was illegal, but the Federal Circuit ruled that the Trump administration could replace Mr. Dalinger and that his legal battle against the removal was successful in court.
Mr. Dellinger abandoned the legal case in March, saying he did not want the Supreme Court to be in his favor.
“At the same time, the harm to the agency and those relying on the agency is caused by non-independent special attorneys and may be direct, serious, and I am concerned that it cannot be corrected.”
Mr. Smith is not the first former administration official under the Trump administration.
In May, the Secret Service launched an investigation into former FBI director James Comey after deleting a social media post after sharing, which Republicans claimed was an incitement to incite violence against Trump. Comey, who served as FBI director from 2013 to 2017, denied the allegations.
Earlier this month, U.S. media reported that Mr Comey and former CIA director John Brennan were also under investigation for allegedly making false statements to Congress as part of their investigation into Russian intervention in the 2016 election.
Mr. Brennan later told NBC that he believes the investigation into him is an example of the “continuous politicization of the intelligence community” under Trump.
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