Federal Watchdog Probes Ex-Special Counsel Jack Smith Over Possible Hatch Act Violation
The move follows a request from Republican Senator Tom Cotton, who accused Smith of acting with political motives to interfere in the 2024 election. Cotton said Smith's actions were designed to damage Trump's campaign, describing him as "a political actor masquerading as a public official" on social media platform X.
Smith, a former war crimes prosecutor, led two criminal cases against Trump—one over the alleged mishandling of classified documents and another related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Both cases were eventually dropped after Trump's 2024 election win, citing Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
Although OSC cannot bring criminal charges, it can issue disciplinary recommendations. This investigation adds to a growing list of actions taken by Trump allies against individuals involved in past legal actions against him.
Smith resigned in January and issued a report stating that there was sufficient evidence to convict Trump, had the cases gone to trial. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and continues to frame the prosecutions as politically motivated.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Straits Times
8 minutes ago
- Straits Times
White House officials defend firing of labour official as critics warn of trust erosion
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Business Times
38 minutes ago
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US trade advisor says Trump tariff rates unlikely to change
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Straits Times
38 minutes ago
- Straits Times
UN lays out survival plan as Trump threatens to slash funding
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Mr Antonio Guterres' plan calls for 20 per cent cuts in expenditures and employment, which would bring its budget, now US$3.7 billion, to the lowest since 2018. NEW YORK – Secretary General Antonio Guterres is slashing more than US$700 million (S$900 million) in spending and laying plans to overhaul the United Nations as its largest sponsor, the US, pulls back support. Mr Guterres' plan calls for 20 per cent cuts in expenditures and employment, which would bring its budget, now US$3.7 billion, to the lowest since 2018. About 3,000 jobs would be cut. Officially, the reform programme is pegged to the UN's 80th anniversary, not the new US administration. But the scale of the reductions reflects the threat to US support, which traditionally accounts for 22 per cent of the organisation's budget. President Donald Trump has suspended that funding and pulled out of several UN bodies already, with a broader review expected to lead to further cuts. 'We're not going to be part of organisations that pursue policies that hamper the United States,' Deputy State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott told reporters on July 31. The planned cuts at the UN come as the Trump administration has eliminated tens of billions of dollars in foreign aid as part of its drive to focus on what it sees as US interests. Conflicts from the Middle East to Ukraine and Africa have added to the need for global assistance. After years of financial struggles, the UN under Mr Guterres already was planning to make sweeping structural changes. He warned in January it was facing 'a full-blown liquidity crisis'. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore No plans to fully liberalise cross-border ride-hailing services between Singapore and Johor: LTA Singapore LTA, Singapore bus operators reviewing Malaysia's request to start services from JB at 4am Multimedia How Singapore is rethinking nature in the city Business Are Gen Z-ers in Singapore worried about generative AI coming for their jobs? Singapore President Tharman meets migrant workers who saved driver of car that fell into sinkhole Singapore Singapore must stay socially progressive while conserving its cultures: President Tharman World Trump is winning his trade war, but Americans will pay the price World Hamas says it will allow aid for hostages if Israel halts airstrikes, opens humanitarian corridors Overall, spending across the UN system is expected to fall to the lowest level in about a decade - down as much as US$20 billion from its high in 2023. 'UN 80 is in large part a reaction from the Secretary General to the kind of challenges posed by the second Trump administration,' said Mr Eugene Chen, senior fellow at New York University's Centre on International Cooperation. Mr Guterres is expected to release details of his overhaul plans in a budget in September. The plan calls for restructuring many of its programmes. Mr Guterres controls the UN's regular budget, which is only a fraction of the total expenditures of its affiliates. Facing funding shortages of their own, agencies like Unicef and Unesco are also planning major cutbacks. The Trump administration already has stopped funds from going into the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, withdrawn from the UN Human Rights Council and left Unesco. Mr Guterres' plan has also drawn criticism, both from Trump allies and inside the UN. 'There are some things that the UN does that arguably should be increased in terms of resources,' said Mr Brett Schaefer, a senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. 'And then there are some things that the UN shouldn't be decreasing but eliminating altogether.' He cited the UN's nuclear watchdog and the World Food Programme as contributing significantly to US interests and singled out the Food and Agriculture Organisation and Human Rights Council as having mandates at odds with American policy. Meanwhile, UN staff in Geneva announced last week they passed a motion of no confidence in Mr Guterres and the plan. 'Staff felt its slash and burn approach lacked focus, had no strategic purpose, and was making the UN more top-heavy and bloated,' Mr Ian Richards, president of the UN Staff Union in Geneva, posted on LinkedIn about the UN 80 report. That vote has largely symbolic importance, according to NYU's Chen. Still, Mr Guterres' efforts to get ahead of the inevitable cuts that reductions in US support will bring could help the UN adapt, he added. 'Maybe that's a silver lining,' Mr Chen said. 'We'll all be primed for reform.' Bloomberg
