Staff Reports
In response to the growing concerns about the Office of the Special Counsel, House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan, R-OH, launched an inquiry regarding the agency. The investigation will focus on one of the top aides of special counsel Jack Smith. Smith was appointed to investigate the incident that occurred on January 6, 2021, when over a thousand individuals flocked to the US Capitol building. Since he was appointed as the special counsel, he has been busy filing cases against individuals who were present during the incident.
The investigation is related to Stanley Woodward's allegations, which he made while representing an individual who is known as Employee 4. According to him, he was threatened by the Office of the Special Counsel, which coerced him into helping the client.
Jay Bratt, a senior prosecutor for Smith, tried to intimidate Woodward by implying that his client, who was a client of Woodward, would be treated preferentially if they cooperated with the office of the special counsel. The actions of this prosecutor, which raise concerns about the Justice Department's commitment to ensuring that the justice system is impartial, are significant.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman #JimJordan (R-Ohio) sent a letter to special counsel #JackSmith after launching an inquiry into one of Mr. Smith’s top aides. https://t.co/USh9wB90XW
— NTD News (@NTDNews) September 8, 2023
In a letter to Smith, Jordan asked for all communications and documents related to the case involving Walt Nauta and Stanley Woodward. The deadline for the documents to be provided to Jordan is September 21. As expected, Smith's office did not immediately respond to the request. Many are wondering what the next step will be for the investigation.
Another conflict of interest issue for Smith's office surfaced in August when the special counsel's office asked for a hearing regarding the representation of lawyers in the case involving classified documents. According to the prosecution, John Irving, who is representing Carlos de Oliveira, is also representing other potential witnesses.
Woodward and Irving asked that the hearing be closed, citing the testimonies of the witnesses and evidence gathered by the grand jury in Washington DC during a case being prosecuted in Florida. It's another example of how Smith's office can't seem to catch a break regarding conflicts of interest.
The investigation by Jordan into the Office of the special counsel is expected to reveal various potential abuses and reveal what lies behind the scenes. With the high-profile cases involving the Department of Justice still hanging in the balance and the reputation of the agency in jeopardy, the drama will only get more intense.
