DOJ Hack Jack Smith Resigns

The Department of Justice recently briefed the House Judiciary Committee about an internal investigation it had opened into special counsel Jack Smith’s office, according to committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH).

Jordan wrote Wednesday in a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner to Jeffrey Ragsdale, the DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility official who gave the briefing, that Jordan was unsatisfied with the information Ragsdale provided during it.

Ragsdale had said during the briefing, which took place last month, that he opened the inquiry into possible misconduct by Smith’s office in June 2023 but that he had not been able to take any further investigative steps while Smith’s prosecutions of President-elect Donald Trump remained pending, per Jordan. Ragsdale had said any action he took would have interfered with Smith’s cases, both of which have been terminated since Trump’s election win.

“While we appreciate you confirming an open investigation into Jack Smith’s prosecutors, we are concerned that your refusal to take prompt investigative steps will allow these attorneys to evade internal accountability by leaving the Department,” Jordan wrote.

Ragsdale had said he opened the inquiry into Smith’s office after someone working under Smith “self-reported” the possible misconduct to Ragsdale’s office, according to Jordan.

“It is absurd that OPR—the Department entity charged with upholding ethical conduct would only examine allegations of prosecutorial misconduct after the subject of the allegations has approved the inquiry,” Jordan wrote. “This process does not inspire any confidence that OPR’s examination will be independent or impartial.”

It is unclear what the nature of the misconduct was, but it is normal for attorneys to self-report to the DOJ’s personnel office if they are aware of allegations being made about them in the media or elsewhere.

Jordan, for his part, has been seeking records from Ragsdale since at least May about various ethics allegations against Smith and the attorneys working for him, including Jay Bratt and J.P. Cooney. Several of the allegations have appeared in the media and in court papers.

Bratt’s misconduct allegation, for example, was first raised in court by an attorney representing Walt Nauta, one of the co-defendants in the classified documents case against Trump. The attorney, Stanley Woodward, said that during a closed-door meeting, Bratt inappropriately brought up Woodward’s application to become a judge while Bratt was trying to convince Woodward to comply with him in the Trump case. Smith has disputed the accusation.

Cooney, another one of Smith’s deputies who has come under scrutiny, was also a key figure involved in prosecuting Trump ally Roger Stone for lying to Congress. According to a DOJ inspector general report, Cooney wanted to impose an unusually harsh sentence on Stone, and when he was overridden, he began accusing the Trump administration of giving Stone preferential treatment. The DOJ inspector general assessed in his report that this was not a “well considered” move by Cooney. Jordan said he has been seeking information from the DOJ about any internal investigations it conducted into Cooney’s “shocking sentencing recommendation” of Stone.

Jordan reiterated all of his past records requests to Ragsdale in his letter on Wednesday and also told the DOJ official to interpret the letter as a “preservation notice” of the records, a sign that the GOP-led committee will continue its investigation in the next Congress.

The DOJ confirmed receipt of the letter from Jordan but declined to comment further.