By Allan Lengel
The latest indictment against ex-President Donald Trump has been lauded by many legal experts and criticized by others who say Special Counsel Jack Smith is overreaching.
The Wall Street published a piece Monday titled: “Jack Smith Is Known to Take On Tough Cases. But He Doesn’t Always Win.” It goes on to say “the special counsel responsible for two indictments of Donald Trump has a decidedly mixed record.”
For many observers the federal document case against Trump out of Florida seems to be an easier one to win.
The Journal writes:
“Smith led the Justice Department’s public corruption unit more than a decade ago, when it brought several cases against lawmakers and politicians that legal experts say were based on far-reaching interpretations of federal law that sometimes backfired before juries and courts.
“Now he faces the most consequential case of his extensive career, the prosecution of Donald Trump on charges that he conspired to undo his 2020 election loss. In doing so, Smith is relying on theories that present legal questions that some experts say could go either way in court.”
The story notes that Smith’s unit got several key convictions, but others fell short.
In 2011, his unit charged Sen. John Edwards in an election campaign allegation. The jury failed to convict. In 2014, Smith’s office charged Virginia’s Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell with accepting $175,000 worth of loans and gifts from a businessman who did business with the state. Smith got a conviction, but the Supreme Court unanimously overturned it.
