The speed and intensity with which special counsel Jack Smith and his team have been moving shows they can sprint, and we’ll soon learn if they can go the distance. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith on Nov. 18 to lead two delayed, seemingly sclerotic, investigations of former President Donald Trump. He has obtained indictments in the classified documents case, and based on Trump’s reported receipt of a target letter regarding Smith’s investigation into the aftermath of the 2020 election, charges are most likely imminent in that case.
If you’ve become numb to the notion of a former U.S. president under investigation and multiple indictments, you would have good reason. In addition to the federal indictment accusing Trump of 37 counts on seven charges, including false statements, conspiracy to obstruct and willful retention of national defense information, Trump has also been indicted by the Manhattan district attorney on charges of falsifying business records in making hush money payments. He’s also facing potential election-related charges in Fulton County, Georgia, been found liable in a sexual assault and defamation case, and faces a civil trial against his organization by the New York attorney general.
