type: timeline_event
Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Jack Smith as Special Counsel to oversee DOJ's criminal investigations of Donald Trump, three days after Trump announced his 2024 presidential campaign. Smith was tasked with investigating Trump's role in the January 6 Capitol attack and his mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Smith, former chief prosecutor for Kosovo war crimes at The Hague, pledged to conduct investigations "independently and expeditiously."