Ex-Prosecutor Says Probe Into Jack Smith Is Actually ‘Last Thing' Donald Trump Should Want
The Office of Special Counsel confirmed this weekend it has opened a probe into whether Smith violated the Hatch Act, a law that restricts political activity by federal employees, during his handling of the criminal cases brought against Trump. Republicans have demanded the investigation.
Appearing on MSNBC, Weissmann suggested it lacked legal merit and questioned the logic behind the GOP's strategy.
'If they were actually to bring a case, this is the last thing that you would think the Trump administration and Trump himself would want,' said Weissmann, who served on Robert Mueller's special counsel team during the Russia probe.
'Trump spent years trying to avoid — and largely being successful at avoiding — any of these cases going to trial. And if he's going to have a trial here, that's going to be a forum for Jack Smith and people to put on the evidence that he has tried for so long to avoid,' he added.
Weissmann's fellow panelists appeared to agree, nodding and smiling at his take.
Watch here:
Related...
Kamala Harris Stuns Colbert With Candid Admission: 'To Hear You Say That… Is Harrowing'
Watch MAGA Brains Break When Jordan Klepper Talks About Trump And Epstein
Seth Meyers Spots The Exact Moment Trump Looked 'Actually Broken'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
a minute ago
- USA Today
From crime to tariffs, Trump challenges the unacceptable. It's what good leaders do.
Progressives' meltdown over Trump sending 800 National Guard troops to help make DC's streets safe is an example of how wrong they've been about the consequences of the president's actions. Progressives have been consistently wrong about the consequences of President Donald Trump's actions. Their overreaction to Trump's decision to establish law and order in Washington, DC, is the most recent example. On Aug. 11, Trump described our nation's capital as full of "bloodshed, bedlam and squalor." He then deployed National Guard troops and vowed to take over the Metropolitan Police Department to 'help reestablish law, order and public safety' in the city. I lived in the DMV area − DC, Maryland, Virginia − for about a decade. Many of us have our own anecdotes, supported by data, about the decline of our nation's capital. Trump's order prompted a wave of fact-checking in mainstream media. The New York Times, for example, wrote about fact-checking Trump's "false and misleading claims" about crime. Progressive leaders insisted that the president was not only wrong but also acting like a bully. Did Trump exaggerate about the level of crime in Washington? Perhaps. But the reality is that the crime rate in the capital city is far above an acceptable level. See for yourself: Maybe people don't read those statistics and think Washington is filled with mayhem and squalor, but the city isn't just about midnight strolls beside the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, either. The president's order raises important questions: Just how much violence should we accept in our cities? Is there really no viable way to help more Americans feel safer in their homes and neighborhoods? Trump is challenging an unacceptable status quo, which is what good leaders should do. Are you worried about crime? Do you agree with Trump's actions in DC? Tell us. | Opinion Forum Progressives' meltdown over Trump sending 800 National Guard troops to assist in making Washington streets safe is another example of how wrong they've been about the consequences of the president's actions. Liberals were wrong about Trump's tariffs For months, liberals screamed that Trump was destroying the U.S. economy with his tariffs. Inflation would spike. Unemployment would skyrocket. The public would revolt because of the financial pain he was so ruthlessly inflicting on them. None of it has happened. According to the latest consumer price index data released Aug. 12, prices rose 0.2% in July, with the annual inflation rate at 2.7%. This spring, grocery prices fell at the fastest rate in five years. Gas prices were down nearly 10% in July from a year ago. The stock markets also have shaken off their fear of tariffs. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq have set multiple record highs in recent weeks, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged almost 2% in the five-day period ending Aug. 13. That's fantastic news for the tens of millions of Americans who have retirement and other investment accounts. The doomsday predictions about tariffs from only four months ago turned out to be drastically overblown. But I have yet to hear any progressives publicly admit they were wrong. Trump's wins expose the left's disturbing pattern This pattern has happened on other issues, like border security. Under President Joe Biden, migrants crossed the border illegally in record numbers. Trump, after returning to the White House in January, quickly regained control. In fact, Customs and Border Protection reported that the agency released zero illegal immigrants into the United States in May. That was an incredible feat. Yet, it was hardly recognized in the news media. Opinion: Democrats have devolved into a clown show. No wonder polls show voters prefer GOP. The left has developed a pattern in overreacting to Trump that will ensure the Democratic Party's continued decline. It goes like this: Trump proposes a policy change or issues an executive order. Democrats and their allies in the media predict imminent doom. Trump's policy decisions turn out to be correct. Then progressives ignore the results and simply move on to shouting about something else. Progressives are so anti-Trump that they're now anti-common sense too. Democrats will pay a heavy price for traveling down such a self-destructive path. In 2028, voters will have to choose between a conservative candidate who stands for less crime, border security and balanced trade policies that promote prosperity and a Democratic candidate who rejects commonsense solutions for ideological reasons. I know who I'll choose. Nicole Russell is a columnist at USA TODAY and a mother of four who lives in Texas. Contact her at nrussell@ and follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @russell_nm. Sign up for her weekly newsletter, The Right Track, here.
Bloomberg
2 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
China Detains Second Key Diplomat for Questioning, Reuters Says
China has detained a senior diplomat for questioning in connection with the investigation into a key government official, Reuters reported citing three people familiar with the matter. Sun Haiyan, former ambassador to Singapore and now Vice Minister of the Communist Party's International Department, was detained earlier this month around the same time as her boss, Liu Jianchao, was taken in for questioning, two of the people familiar told Reuters.
Bloomberg
2 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
A Trader's Guide to the Alaska Talks Between Trump and Putin
Traders are dusting off their geopolitical playbooks ahead of Friday's meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, looking for any signs as to how the outcome will shape the future direction of markets. In the run-up to the talks, investors have been piling into assets that could stand to benefit from either a ceasefire in Ukraine or an easing of sanctions on Russia. Ukrainian government bonds have rallied, alongside shares of companies that would benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine and European banks that still have a presence in Russia.
