Private Jack Smith remarks spur report he could drop 'unreleased evidence' against Trump

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38. MaddowBlog-Silent no more, Jack Smith calls out Trump's 'corrupted' Justice Department

The prosecutor wasn’t able to make his case in court, but months later, he’s bringing his arguments to the public in forceful and unrestrained ways.

Silent no more, Jack Smith calls out Trump’s ‘corrupted’ Justice Department www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Ian Kremer (@wolverinebear.bsky.social) 2026-05-08T01:11:29.817Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/silent-no-more-jack-smith-calls-out-trumps-corrupted-justice-department

But nearly a year and a half later, the former special counsel has made the transition from a lawyer who preferred silence to one who has quite a bit to say. The New York Times reported:

Jack Smith, the special counsel who twice indicted President Trump, accused the Justice Department of having been “corrupted” by Trump loyalists he claimed were demolishing its credibility and seeking to undermine the rule of law.

Mr. Smith’s remarks, made last month in a private discussion at the Cosmos Club in Washington, represented his sharpest criticism of the department since leaving his post early last year.

“We have a Department of Justice today that targets people for criminal prosecution simply because the president doesn’t like them,” Smith said in the hourlong discussion on April 20, according to a video obtained by the Times that was shared with attendees. He added, “We have a department that fails to move on cases because they might uncover facts that are inconvenient to narratives the president would like to press.”.....

Soon after, during an interview with former prosecutor Andrew Weissmann at the University College London, Smith condemned Republican criticisms of his work as “ludicrous,” adding, “I think the attacks on public servants, particularly nonpartisan public servants — I think it has a cost for our country that is incalculable, and I think that we — it’s hard to communicate to folks how much that is going to cost us.”

More recently, Smith also delivered private and public testimony before the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee, which also didn’t do his Republican detractors any favors.

Smith was not able to make his case in court, but with increasing frequency, he’s bringing his arguments to the public in forceful and unrestrained ways.