Republicans urge Justice Department to investigate former prosecutor Jack Smith - NPR

What the report says

NPR reported that Republicans are urging the Justice Department to investigate Jack Smith, the former special counsel who oversaw two federal criminal investigations involving President Trump. The report, published July 23, says Smith has also been a repeated subject of Trump’s criticism on social media.

The available NPR material does not identify which Republicans made the request, the specific legal theory they raised, or whether the Justice Department has responded. It also does not say whether any formal inquiry has been opened. For that reason, the core confirmed development is the political push for scrutiny of Smith, rather than any known action by federal investigators.

By way of context, Smith was appointed during the Biden administration to handle politically sensitive Trump-related matters. Those included the federal case over classified documents and a separate case tied to efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Both matters became central to national debates over presidential accountability, prosecutorial independence and the role of the Justice Department in cases involving major political figures.

The Republican request is significant because it shifts attention from the conduct under investigation in those Trump cases to the prosecutor who led them. Any Justice Department decision on whether to examine Smith would be closely watched, given the broader controversy over the department’s independence and the long-running claims by Trump and allies that he was unfairly targeted.