Biden’s DOJ has been working tirelessly to put Donald Trump behind bars. But now they may be paying the price for that.
And Trump prosecutors are shaking in fear after what the president-elect just announced.
President-elect Donald Trump reportedly intends to dismiss the entire team of special counsel Jack Smith and direct the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the 2020 election, according to a report by The Washington Post.
The plan represents a sweeping reshaping of the Justice Department and a continuation of Trump’s long-standing grievances about its role in cases against him.
The report states that Trump will remove Smith’s team, including career attorneys who are typically shielded from political retribution.
Smith himself is expected to resign from his post and close the federal cases against Trump before Inauguration Day in January.
Smith gained national attention in 2023 when he indicted Trump on charges of unlawfully retaining classified documents and obstructing government efforts to retrieve them.
Later that year, four felony charges related to Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election, culminating in the deadly January 6 Capitol attack, were filed against him.
Trump pleaded not guilty to both cases, and the classified documents case was eventually dismissed. Delays marked both cases as Trump’s legal team pursued various appeals, including an immunity challenge in the federal election subversion case that reached the Supreme Court.
During his campaign, Trump frequently criticized the DOJ, accusing it of being weaponized against him. According to a source familiar with his plans, Trump’s approach as president will focus on purging “the bad guys, the people who went after me.”
Smith’s office comprises dozens of attorneys, FBI agents, and Justice Department staff, many of whom were assigned to the cases and did not actively choose to work under the special counsel. These attorneys are typically career professionals temporarily detailed from other DOJ divisions or U.S. attorneys’ offices.
Historically, such personnel return to their regular posts when special counsel investigations conclude. Some members of Smith’s team have already returned to their original assignments.
Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary, reiterated the president-elect’s commitment to reshaping the Justice Department:
“President Trump campaigned on firing rogue bureaucrats who have engaged in the illegal weaponization of our American justice system, and the American people can expect he will deliver on that promise.”
Trump’s plans also extend beyond personnel changes. He is expected to use the DOJ to revisit the 2020 election, which he lost to President Joe Biden.
Trump has repeatedly claimed, without monumental evidence, that the election was marred by widespread voter fraud. Numerous investigations have failed to substantiate these allegations.
In his social media posts and public statements, Trump has suggested that he may pursue legal action against state officials and others who did not support his efforts to contest the election.
“Please beware that this legal exposure extends to Lawyers, Political Operatives, Donors, Illegal Voters, & Corrupt Election Officials. Those involved in unscrupulous behavior will be sought out, caught, and prosecuted at levels, unfortunately, never seen before in our Country,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social several months ago.
The anticipated moves signal a bold effort to reshape the DOJ while reigniting Trump’s battle over the 2020 election—a conflict that has defined much of his political narrative since his loss.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
