An insider involved in Jack Smith’s lawfare cases against former and now President-elect Donald Trump reported “possible misconduct,” but the investigation, initiated over a year ago, has been stalled. Smith argued that any review would interfere with his investigations into Trump at the time. These cases, however, have since ended following Trump’s election victory last month.
Congress is now working to revive the investigation. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) recently disclosed that the Department of Justice briefed the committee on its internal investigation into Smith’s operations.
According to the Washington Examiner, Jordan expressed frustration over what he views as attempts to block Congress from obtaining critical information. In a letter to Jeffrey Ragsdale, counsel for the DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility, Jordan demanded documents related to the allegations be provided promptly.
In the letter, Jordan highlighted previous requests for records concerning claims that Smith and his team “lied to a federal court, manipulated evidence seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) during its raid of Mar-a-Lago, and improperly pressured a lawyer representing a defendant indicted by Smith.” These allegations have emerged through various reports in recent months.
Additionally, Jordan cited accusations against J.P. Cooney, a member of Smith’s team, who allegedly sought an “unprecedented” and “excessive” prison sentence for a criminal defendant and spread false conspiracy theories when overruled by his supervisors. Smith allegedly stalled inquiries into these issues, claiming any revelations of staff misconduct could undermine his cases against Trump.
“You stated that Smith only allowed the investigation to begin because it would now no longer ‘interfere with the Special Counsel’s investigation and prosecution,’” Jordan wrote to Ragsdale. “It is absurd that OPR—the Department entity charged with upholding ethical conduct—would only examine allegations of prosecutorial misconduct after the subject of the allegations has approved the inquiry.”
Jordan also voiced concern that attorneys involved in potential misconduct could avoid accountability by leaving the DOJ.
The Examiner noted, “It is unclear what the nature of the misconduct was, but it is normal for attorneys to self-report to the DOJ’s personnel office if they are aware of allegations being made about them in the media or elsewhere.” The outlet also reported that Jordan has been pressing Ragsdale for records on ethics allegations against Smith and his team since earlier this year.
One specific claim involves Jay Bratt, an attorney on Smith’s team. This allegation was raised in court by Stanley Woodward, who represents Walt Nauta, a co-defendant in Trump’s classified documents case. Woodward alleged that, during a closed-door meeting, Bratt inappropriately mentioned Woodward’s application for a judicial position while pressuring him to cooperate in the Trump case. Smith has denied the accusation, according to the Examiner.
