Obviously it wasn't illegal.Trump’s nominee to head the OSC is stalled in the Senate. A White House official told NBC News that Paul Ingrassia, a former podcast host with a history of incendiary commentary, is meeting with senators in one-on-one meetings over the next month before a confirmation vote takes place.
[...]
President Donald Trump and other prominent Republicans have alleged that [Smith's] investigations into then-candidate Trump amounted to illegal political activity.
NBC News
Well, what a fucking surprise.On Wednesday, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., requested that the OSC investigate Smith for “unprecedented interference in the 2024 election.”
[...]
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal agency, confirmed to NBC News on Saturday that it's investigating Smith for alleged violations of the Hatch Act, a law that prohibits certain political activities by government officials. Trump and his allies have not presented specific evidence of wrongdoing.
The independent agency lacks the authority to bring criminal charges and prosecute individuals who violate the Hatch Act, but it may seek disciplinary action for a federal government employee, such as removal from the civil workforce, or refer its findings of Hatch Act violations to the DOJ for investigation.
If they're looking for violations of the Hatch Act, they could be kept busy night and day in Trump's administration.
Disgusting.
The rule of law presupposes that there are, well, rules. These rules are supposed to provide a consistent, repeatable, and, most important, knowable set of outcomes. Predictability is the key feature of a functioning rules-based system, because people have to know the rules—and the consequences of breaking them—before they act. The difference between living under the rule or law and living by the whims of a madman is that the rights, responsibilities, prohibitions, and privileges of your situation do not change radically every time a person in power throws a hissy fit.
But the Supreme Court has decided that rules and laws do not apply to Trump, and they don’t protect anybody from Trump. That means that the rule of law is functionally dead in this country.
The Nation
UPDATE 08/03/2025:
And another!
SDNY. What has been known for decades as "the Sovereign District of New York." The country's premier DOJ agency. There goes that reputation.*
New DC US Attorney and former Fox host Jeanine Pirro was back on Fox complaining that nobody wants to work for her. Laura Ingraham: “I’ve been hearing that there is a big problem with staffing—what’s going on? Pirro: I’m down 90 prosecutors. If you want a job in the largest US Attorney’s office, contact me.”
Meidas Touch
*CORRECTION: She's not at SDNY, she's at DC.
UPDATE 10/15/2025:
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