While Americans faced rising costs, shutdown threats, and weakened oversight across the federal government, the Trump administration and GOP allies in Congress spent months waging a taxpayer-funded war. Not against corruption, but against accountability. Their top target: former Special Counsel Jack Smith, the veteran prosecutor who brought historic indictments against Donald Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and for mishandling classified national security documents.
Smith did his job. The evidence was overwhelming. Grand juries agreed. Yet instead of engaging on the facts, Trump’s allies chose a different strategy. They tried to turn the prosecutor into the villain.
💸 Millions Burned on Manufactured Outrage
From Capitol Hill hearing rooms to right-wing media circuits, the energy spent attacking Smith could have funded real oversight. Instead, it funded performance and grievance.
- At least five House bills aimed to defund Smith, cut his salary to zero, or block DOJ funding for prosecuting Trump. None cited legal misconduct. All reflected political loyalty.
- House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan used subpoena power not for policy oversight, but to pursue Smith’s grand jury records.
- Senators like Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson pushed claims that Smith was “spying” on GOP senators. These claims stemmed from lawful subpoenas targeting Trump’s pressure campaign during the January 6 period.
- After Trump’s 2024 election win, his transition team backed a formal ethics probe into Smith under the Hatch Act. Former DOJ officials called this a retaliatory abuse of process.
Each motion, letter, and press conference had a cost. Staff time, court hours, and public trust were spent, all in the service of punishing a prosecutor for doing his work.
🚨 From Prosecutor to Punching Bag
Smith’s indictments were not partisan. They were built on evidence, court-tested, and publicly documented.
- His career includes prosecutions of Democrats and Republicans alike.
- Former Attorney General Bill Barr supported the Mar-a-Lago case and rejected claims of overreach.
- Federal judges, including Trump appointees, upheld Smith’s filings and timelines.
Still, the attacks came. Trump branded Smith a “deranged lunatic.” Allies threatened prosecution, revocation of security clearances, and defunding of his staff. No court, including the Supreme Court, ever ruled that Smith’s actions were illegal. They were simply unwelcome to those in power.
📉 What Was Lost While This War Was Fought?
As Trump and his allies tried to dismantle Smith’s work, other parts of government suffered.
- Oversight watchdogs lost funding or were silenced.
- Shutdown threats left agencies paralyzed and workers unpaid.
- Court systems came under attack, with calls to impeach judges who ruled against Trump.
Smith, now a private citizen, remains under security protection due to threats encouraged by political rhetoric. His former team has been scattered or reassigned. The rule of law was not strengthened by these attacks. It was tested.
🔚 The Verdict: Accountability on Trial
Smith’s real offense was bringing a case against someone powerful. What followed was not legal rebuttal, but political revenge. Investigations into the investigator. Baseless accusations. Congressional theatrics.
If a prosecutor cannot serve without being personally destroyed, the justice system becomes optional for the powerful. This was not just an attack on Jack Smith. It was an attack on equal justice, and on the public’s right to see the law applied fairly.