Special Advisor Jack Smith will speak at the Department of Justice Building in Washington on August 1, 2023. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
The US Special Advisors Office has launched an investigation into former Department of Justice (DOJ) special advisor Jack Smith, who has filed two separate federal criminal cases against former President Donald Trump during the Biden administration between Trump’s two presidential terms.
On August 2, the Special Advisory Office confirmed it was investigating whether Smith’s actions in his efforts to indict Trump constituted an inappropriate form of political activity. The office is an independent federal agency tasked with protecting federal whistleblowers and enforcing the Civil Service Act, including the Hatch Act, which protects federal whistleblowers and restricts political activity by federal employees. The office does not have the right to execute criminal charges, but it is investigating violations and has the authority to impose fines and other sanctions.