Former special counsel Jack Smith, who targeted and used lawfare against President Donald Trump and a number of his allies, reportedly claimed in April 2026 that the current Justice Department has been “corrupted” by the president and those who are loyal to him. Smith’s remarks came during a private event held at the Cosmos Club located in Washington, D.C. A total of 300 people attended the event.
The New York Times has reportedly obtained video footage of Smith’s speech at the event. The article stated that Smith “accused the Justice Department of having been ‘corrupted’ by Trump loyalists he claimed were demolishing its credibility and seeking to undermine the rule of law.” He then reportedly said, “We have a Department of Justice today that targets people for criminal prosecution simply because the president doesn’t like them.”
During his address to the audience, he also claimed the department was failing to investigate cases out of fear of uncovering facts that would prove to be “inconvenient narratives” that President Trump would not like. Smith allegedly told the audience that he was feeling optimistic that the institution could be recommitted to its nonpartisan mission despite being “corrupted over the last year.”
According to Breitbart News, who quoted the NY Times piece, Smith said the corruption came from Trump appointees who were more interested in impressing him than following the law, rules, and norms of the Justice Department. On April 21, 2026, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on “Arctic Frost,” which was Smith’s investigation into Trump under former President Joe Biden.
A previous report from the outlet said, “‘Arctic Frost’ was a wide-ranging investigation into then-candidate Trump, members of his administration, campaign team, and even Republican members of Congress ahead of the 2024 presidential election.” It then detailed how FBI Director Kash Patel revealed in late 2025 that Smith had subpoenaed phone records of active Republican members of both the House and Senate.
Anti-Trump judge James Boasberg ordered AT&T not to inform the congressmembers having their data accessed by prosecutors. Patel said that he had uncovered definitive proof that the phone records were “seized for political purposes.” Patel wrote on his social media account, “That abuse of power ends now. Under my leadership, the FBI will deliver truth and accountability, and never again be weaponized against the American people.”
John Lauro, who was President Trump’s attorney in the Smith case concerning the protests at the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, stated that FBI documents relating to the “Arctic Frost” investigation shows that it was “simply a DOJ takedown of a political movement.” Smith told members of Congress during a private interview that he and his team had gathered sufficient evidence to warrant criminal charges against Trump in connection with efforts to overturn the 2020 election, despite claims and evidence suggesting election fraud in favor of the Democrats.
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Both cases were ultimately dropped. An article written by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) said, “The Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Smith for testimony and documents as part of a Republican-led investigation into what GOP lawmakers describe as the politicized use of federal law enforcement under the Biden administration.”
Watch Jack Smith’s upcoming reckoning with justice get exposed here: