President-elect Donald Trump is poised to shake up the U.S. Department of Justice sharply after taking office in January.
He intends to dismiss special counsel Jack Smith's entire team and redirect the department's focus to investigating the 2020 presidential election processes, Washington Examiner reported.
Trump plans to overhaul the Department of Justice to address perceived biases. He intends to dismiss Smith’s team and remove career attorneys who have traditionally enjoyed protection from political retaliation. This effort coincides with special counsel Jack Smith's preparations to resign and wind down his federal cases against Trump before the inauguration.
Trump's legal saga began earlier in 2023 when Smith indicted him for unlawfully retaining classified documents and obstructing government efforts to retrieve them. In a separate development in August, Trump faced another indictment on four felony counts related to challenging the 2020 presidential election outcome and the January 6 Capitol event. He pleaded not guilty to both sets of charges, and the court later dismissed the classified documents case.
Trump has also contested aspects of the prosecutions, filing appeals, including an immunity-based argument heard by the Supreme Court. His electoral campaign has included promises to reform the Justice Department, arguing that it has been used as a political weapon against him.
The special counsel's team comprises mid- and upper-level career DOJ staffers, who often return to previous roles after such assignments. However, Trump's plans reportedly include sweeping changes that may prevent this typical transition. According to a source familiar with Trump's aspirations, the president-elect seeks to purge what he considers wrongdoers, describing them as "the bad guys, the people who went after me."
This evolving legal narrative has garnered congressional attention. House Republicans have instructed DOJ personnel to secure correspondence associated with Trump’s legal proceedings involving Smith, hinting at potential forthcoming inquiries. This action underlines the broader political dimensions at play, as Trump perseveres in his quest to explore alleged electoral misconduct in 2020, despite thorough investigations finding minimal evidence of significant fraud.
Karoline Leavitt, Trump's press secretary, emphasized the administration's commitment to addressing what they see as systemic issues within the justice system. She stated, President Trump campaigned on firing rogue bureaucrats who have engaged in the illegal weaponization of our American justice system, and the American people can expect he will deliver on that promise.
Trump has publicly expressed his intent to probe the 2020 election outcomes utilizing DOJ resources. He alleges widespread improper voting conduct and has proposed pursuing legal actions against state officials who opposed his fraud claims. On Truth Social, Trump articulated his readiness to act against those tied to purportedly unethical behavior across various election roles.
Jack Smith is expected to conclude his tenure as special counsel as he prepares to vacate his position ahead of Trump's impending administration. This strategic winding down of federal cases against Trump marks a potential pivotal closure to part of the ongoing legal proceedings that Smith initiated.
Despite the volatility surrounding these developments, Trump affirms his determination to follow through on campaign promises to revamp the DOJ. He has assured his followers that he will scrutinize the electoral process to address what he describes as faults within the justice mechanism.
As the landscape shifts with Trump's projected actions, the DOJ's trajectory could experience substantial realignments. Trump's moves to redesign departmental focus back toward the 2020 election scrutiny could yield new dynamics within federal investigative priorities.
As Trump himself cautioned on Truth Social, potential legal exposures extend to "Lawyers, Political Operatives, Donors, Illegal Voters, & Corrupt Election Officials," signaling an expansive scope for his intended post-inauguration probes.
This anticipated upheaval serves as the latest chapter in the complex intersection of politics and justice, framing the forthcoming administration's objectives in its disputed narrative over the 2020 election.
Trump's approach underscores a broader intent to redefine DOJ operations, aligning them with his vision of addressing perceived electoral anomalies while fostering a narrative of contesting governmental overreach.
