‘More egg on the faces of prosecutors’: Expert blasts Trump DOJ’s new prosecution threat

A legal expert told CNN on Thursday that President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers’ attempts to prosecute former special counsel Jack Smith could backfire.

David Aronberg, former state attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida, responded to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, who has requested the Department of Justice consider criminal charges against Smith. Jordan has alleged that Smith misled Congress about the phone records obtained from members of Congress during the 2020 election investigation.

Smith, who formerly prosecuted Trump, now faces possible prosecution himself. The DOJ has said it will investigate all evidence of criminal conduct.

Trump has weighed in on Jordan’s request, posting “Justice at last?” on his Truth Social platform.

Aronberg argued that Smith did not lie to Congress.

“They’re trying to twist Jack Smith’s words to make it look like he lied, but he did not,” Aronberg said. “What we’re seeing here is a political game, not a serious matter for the courts.”

“If you want to blame Jack Smith for not proactively offering more information to anticipate what the senators and members of the House were thinking at the time, then so be it,” Aronberg added. “But it’s not a crime. And so this is political retribution, but it’s not going anywhere. We saw what happened with Letitia James and James Comey already. This is going to result in more egg on the faces of prosecutors if they decide to.”