Jack Smith Accuses DOJ of Corruption and Targeting Trump's Enemies in Private Speech

Former special counsel Jack Smith accused the Department of Justice of corruption and targeting President Donald Trump's enemies in a fiery speech at a private dinner in Washington in April.

Smith's remarks, reported by the New York Times this week, focused on the DOJ's investigations and prosecutions of Trump's top political rivals, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. He charged the department with weaponizing its authority, an accusation Republicans have frequently made against Smith for his two criminal cases against Trump under the Biden administration.

"We have a Department of Justice today that targets people for criminal prosecution simply because the president doesn’t like them," Smith said.

A DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital the department expected nothing less from Smith, whose sole mission was to politically prosecute a former president in an attempt to stop him from assuming office again. "This DOJ has ended the weaponization perpetrated by the Biden Administration and will continue to ensure no one is above the law," the spokesperson said.

Smith had brought indictments against Trump alleging illegal efforts to overturn the 2020 election and retention of classified national defense information. The election case hit significant hurdles, and Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, dismissed the classified documents case, ruling Smith was unlawfully appointed as special counsel. Smith’s office was appealing that ruling when Trump won the 2024 election. Weeks later, Smith moved to dismiss both federal cases, citing the Justice Department’s policy against prosecuting a sitting president.

Trump repeatedly called Smith a corrupt thug who belonged in jail. In January, Trump said on Truth Social that Smith was a deranged animal who should lose his law license. Smith, a longtime attorney, had prosecuted war crimes in the Hague and led the DOJ's Public Integrity Section during the Obama administration.

Trump said he hoped the DOJ was investigating Smith, including some of the crooked and corrupt witnesses he tried to use in the case against him. "The whole thing was a Democrat SCAM — A big price should be paid by them for what they have put our Country through!"

Smith's comments clashed directly with Trump's, as both accused the other side of weaponization. Smith faces threats of federal prosecution for targeting Trump, though the DOJ and congressional investigators have found no criminal wrongdoing by him.

Smith said the DOJ has been corrupted over the past year but believed it would come through better. He accused the department of ignoring cases that might reveal inconvenient facts contradicting narratives the president wants to press.

Smith praised career prosecutors and said a central component of the current DOJ’s strategy was to punish people like several Minnesota attorneys who resigned in protest over disputes in handling an investigation into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent killing Renee Good, a 37-year-old anti-ICE activist.

"To erode the rule of law in this country you need to attack these people, and that is what we have seen since January 2025," Smith said.

Smith's comments included some praise for the DOJ. He said it was more vocal than under Biden. That comes as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who replaced Pam Bondi a month ago, has pursued an aggressive media strategy with press conferences and interviews across outlets.

A Smith representative had no comment. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.