Special Counsel Jack Smith has earned a reputation as a hard-nosed investigator. Photo: JERRY LAMPEN/AFP
Jack Smith, the bearded, spirited triathlete who led the prosecution of Donald Trump's classified documents case, polished his reputation by fighting war criminals in The Hague.
The 54-year-old's career has included prosecution of drug gang leaders and Mafia bosses in Manhattan, and complex corruption cases against US politicians of all stripes. in Kosovo to become a special adviser overseeing the Trump case last November.< /p>
Merrick Garland, U.S. Attorney General, decided to appoint a special counsel given the «particularly sensitive» circumstances surrounding the investigation of the former U.S. president .
As a special counsel, Mr. Smith has an additional layer of independence from the Justice Department (DOJ) than one of his own prosecutors.
Investigate the attack on the Capitol
In addition to investigating that Mr. Trump kept classified documents after leaving the White House, Mr. Smith looks into the former president's efforts to reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election and his role in the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021
Mr Smith was the obvious choice. A registered independent, he has expressed several political opinions that could indicate some kind of bias. And he has developed a reputation as a tenacious investigator who is reportedly as determined to get the innocent convicted of criminal charges as he is to convict the guilty.
«If I was a person who can be intimidated — [if I thought:] «I know this person did this, but we can lose, and it will look bad» — I would find another job,» he once said He. told the New York Times.
«I can't imagine how someone who does what I do, or worked with me, could think of this.»
Mr. Smith's tenacity is often cited by his former colleagues. “If the case is going to be prosecuted, he will,” said Mark Lesko, who worked with Smith at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York. «He's fearless.»
When he's not doing business, Mr. Smith spends his time participating in grueling fitness competitions.
Ironman triathlete
He has competed in over 100 triathlons and at least nine Ironman events, including in Germany, Brazil and Canada.< /p>
He has a daughter with award-winning documentary filmmaker wife Cathy Chevigny.
Mr. Smith attended the State University of New York at Oneonta and later graduated from Harvard Law School.
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He began his career as a prosecutor in 1994 with the Manhattan District Attorney's office under Robert Morgenthau, who was best known for prosecuting mob bosses. A few years later, he moved to the Brooklyn District Attorney's office, where he worked on a high-profile police brutality case.
From 2008 to 2010, he led a war crimes investigation in The Hague.
He returned to the Department of Justice to head the Public Ethics Office until 2015, handling complex cases against government officials.
Under his leadership, the Department opened a corruption case against John Edwards, a former Democratic senator and vice president. presidential candidate and Bob McDonnell, then Republican governor of Virginia.
He oversaw another investigation into the former Republican congressman, but declined to file charges.
Despite the fact that he has received distinguished service awards having spent the past four years abroad, Mr Smith has a relatively low status at home and is protected from the hyperpartisan legal battles of the Trump and Biden administrations.
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