Overview
- Smith, in a private April 20 talk at Washington’s Cosmos Club, accused the Justice Department of being corrupted over the past year by Trump appointees, in a video obtained by the New York Times.
- He said the department now targets people for prosecution simply because the president dislikes them.
- He argued that officials avoid or stall investigations if the facts could undercut narratives favored by the president.
- He pointed to a Minnesota protest case, praising prosecutors and FBI agents who refused to probe a victim’s family and, according to the Boston Globe’s account, alleging Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel pushed investigators to look for links to extremist groups.
- The Justice Department answered with a brief dismissal through spokesperson Emily Covington, while Trump allies continued to demand Smith’s prosecution without offering evidence, a call that would be weighed by acting AG Todd Blanche, formerly Trump’s lead defense lawyer.