Special counsel Jack Smith recently made history by becoming the first federal prosecutor to ever bring formal criminal charges against a former U.S. president. Smith’s months-long investigation succinctly suggests a multi-faceted labyrinth of obfuscation and deceit.
In stunning detail after detail, the prosecutor develops a stinging narrative that, if true, could see the presidential aspirations of Donald Trump face their stiffest challenge yet – overcoming a criminal conviction. Still, as the former commander-in-chief stares down a mountain of evidence against him in the documents case, the special counsel is only just beginning.
Added to this is a potential second indictment from the special counsel, who is also investigating allegations related to Trump’s involvement in the U.S. Capitol riot after the 2020 election. The investigation, chock-full of salacious and staggering evidence so far, has the potential to stop Trump in his tracks, politically, and prompt the end of a nearly eight-year journey that ushered in MAGA conservatism and remade the Republican party in Trump's own image. Both verdicts could ultimately prove debilitating to the current GOP front-runner’s chances of retaking the White House.
In November 2022, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith as independent special counsel tasked with overseeing two pre-existing Department of Justice criminal investigations into Trump. The 37-count indictment satisfies the investigation into Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents.
Meanwhile, the investigation into Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol attack is still ongoing. It is unclear if or when charges are forthcoming, but based on the findings in the documents case, Smith is a dogged and relentless prosecutor who will undoubtedly reach into the depths of an investigation to uncover crimes if they exist.
Reports from The Associated Press and CNN suggest the Jan. 6 investigation is experiencing major breakthroughs. Key figures integral to the events leading up to and taking place on that fateful winter day have already met with investigators. Trump’s former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former vice-president Mike Pence, and former senior adviser Steve Bannon, who has already been convicted of contempt charges, have all grudgingly gone on the record in the ongoing probe. Smith’s investigation appears to be moving closer to uncovering Trump’s suspected role in the events that unfolded at the U.S. Capitol.
Information from the special counsel proceedings have been scant at best. Currently, all eyes are on the charges facing Trump, and rightfully so.
Trump’s great affinity for fights is no secret. As a larger-than-life real estate developer, his battles with the New York tabloids are legendary. Moreover, since descending that gilded escalator in 2015 and kicking off his first bid for president, he faced off with the GOP establishment and Hillary Clinton, overcoming both to make history as the 45th president of the United States.
However, like a heavyweight fighter that has seen too much combat, the nation could be witnessing, in Trump, a fighter who has suffered too many blows, including ones from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, special counsel Smith, and possibly Georgia’s Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. All are currently going after Trump or preparing to do so in the months ahead.
The battles are certainly benefiting Trump in the short-term, with his lead and stature continuing to grow in the polls among the GOP base. However, his front-runner status could be illusory. During his tenure at The Hague, Smith has gone head-to-head with powerful, influential and corrupt leaders in the mould of Trump and came out victorious. Smith has been down this road before. The nation and the world are quite possibly witnessing a wounded and vulnerable Trump in the throes of what could be his last stand.
Since 2020, Trump has suffered tremendous losses. He is the first presidential incumbent to lose re-election in nearly 30 years. In 2022, many of his hand-picked candidates, including Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and U.S. Senate candidate Hershel Walker, were unsuccessful in their election bids during a year many thought was primed for enormous Republican gains.
Smith seems intent on keeping that losing streak intact. His relentless pursuit of criminality could be setting Trump up for his biggest loss yet. The 49-page indictment has charges that include conspiracy to obstruct justice, corruptly concealing a document or record, and the willful retention of national defence information, among other charges, suggesting Smith may have everything he needs for a conviction.
Each charge is supported with evidence, often provided by Trump's own words or individuals from the former president's own orbit. The special counsel’s all-encompassing indictment delivers several smoking guns but a looming second indictment could prove too much, even for a no-holds-barred fighter like Trump.
Smith is halfway to completing his mandate. One investigation is proceeding in stunning fashion while a second continues to operate in the shadows. No leaks. No publicly disclosed information. A tenacious and unrelenting prosecutorial effort is all the public has to go on. Sit-downs with recalcitrant witnesses suggest the shadowy and mysterious probe might be reaching its climactic denouement.
Trump has flirted with the prospect of coming dangerously close to a moment of reckoning in the past. This time, however, Smith’s unrelenting determination makes the potential for criminal accountability for Trump very real. Now, without political power, there are no levels or layers of protection for the reality-TV-star-turned-politician. His MAGA-verse of lawmakers and supporters seem powerless to thwart Smith’s prosecutorial might that is bearing down on the GOP leader. With a second investigation underway, that moment of reckoning could, for the first time, be close at hand.
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