Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Jul 2
Jack Smith Warns DOJ Politicization Threatens 2026 Midterms and Rule of Law
Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Jul 2

Jack Smith Warns DOJ Politicization Threatens 2026 Midterms and Rule of Law

3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Jul 2

Summary

  • Jack Smith said the United States faces a rule-of-law attack unlike anything in his lifetime and is now "very concerned" about the integrity of the 2026 midterm elections.
  • Smith tied that warning to a Justice Department he said has shed expertise, demoralized career staff and pursued predetermined outcomes rather than facts and law.
  • He said Trump’s sweeping Jan. 6 pardons risk recidivism and send a damaging message to law enforcement, while failed cases against James Comey and Letitia James showed retribution-driven prosecutions.
  • Smith also said the administration stripped security clearances from him and his lawyers after a major firm agreed to represent him, calling it an effort to deny him counsel.
  • The remarks came in Smith’s first TV interview since resigning after his 2023 Trump cases were dropped following Trump’s reelection and a judge’s ruling against Smith’s appointment.

Insights

What does a permanently sealed special counsel report reveal about the limits of public accountability?
Can a justice department remain impartial if its attorneys are shielded from independent ethics investigations?