# Trump's Former Special Counsel Now Under Investigation for Potential Ethics Violations

About this episode

The episode discusses the investigation into Jack Smith for potential ethics violations related to his work on cases involving Donald Trump.

The latest news connecting **Jack Smith** and **Donald Trump** is that Smith, who led the federal classified-documents and Jan. 6 investigations into Trump, is now being investigated by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel over whether his work violated the Hatch Act, which limits political activity by federal employees.[1] The review was triggered by a referral from Republican Sen. Tom Cotton, who argued Smith’s pre-election investigative and prosecutorial actions were intended to affect Trump’s political prospects.[1] That development comes after Trump’s 2024 election win changed the legal landscape around the criminal cases Smith brought. According to reporting on the Trump transition, the special counsel dropped the federal cases against Trump-elect, citing the long-standing principle that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted in the same way as a private citizen.[2] A federal judge had also previously granted Smith’s request to pause the 2020 election interference case while prosecutors weighed next steps after Trump’s victory.[4] The broader picture is that Trump’s return to power has been followed by a wave of legal and political counterpressure around the investigations…

Topics covered

• legal investigations
• political ethics
• Hatch Act
• Trump's presidency
• special counsel
• 2024 election

Keywords

• Jack Smith
• Donald Trump
• Hatch Act
• ethics violations
• special counsel
• Tom Cotton
• 2024 election
• legal investigations

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: U.S. Office of Special Counsel, ABC News

More episodes of Jack Smith versus Donald Trump

• # Smith's Shadow: How the Ex-Prosecutor Still Shapes Trump's Legal Battles · June 6, 2026 · 3 min
• # Journalist Declines to Write Story Without Reliable Sources · May 5, 2026 · 1 min
• # Trump Orders Special Counsel Dismissal as Legal Battles Intensify Amid National Security Tensions · May 2, 2026 · 3 min
• # Search Results Show Limited Information on Jack Smith-Trump Connection · April 25, 2026 · 2 min
• # Jack Smith Tells Congress: Trump Orchestrated Election Scheme, Hoarded Classified Docs · April 18, 2026 · 4 min
• # Supreme Court Dismisses Trump Election Case, Igniting Fresh Legal and Political Firestorm · April 4, 2026 · 3 min