Former special counsel Jack Smith — the man conservatives say spearheaded years of politically motivated lawfare against President Donald Trump and his allies — is now claiming the Justice Department itself has become “corrupted” under Trump’s leadership.
The irony was impossible to miss.
Speaking during a private event at the exclusive Cosmos Club in April 2026, Smith reportedly lashed out at the current Department of Justice, accusing Trump loyalists of destroying the institution’s credibility and undermining the so-called “rule of law.”
According to reports, roughly 300 attendees were present for Smith’s remarks, which were later obtained on video by The New York Times.
“We have a Department of Justice today that targets people for criminal prosecution simply because the president doesn’t like them,” Smith reportedly told the audience.
That statement immediately drew criticism from conservatives, many of whom spent years watching Smith aggressively pursue investigations and prosecutions against Trump while Democrats and media allies applauded every step.
For millions of Americans, Smith’s comments sounded less like principled concern and more like projection.
After all, Smith oversaw some of the most controversial investigations in modern political history — investigations Republicans argue were specifically designed to cripple Trump politically ahead of the 2024 election.
One of those probes, known internally as “Arctic Frost,” has come under particularly intense scrutiny.
According to previous congressional testimony and reports, the investigation extended far beyond Trump himself, sweeping up members of his campaign team, former administration officials, and even sitting Republican lawmakers.
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this year, Kash Patel revealed that Smith’s team subpoenaed phone records belonging to active Republican members of Congress.
Even more alarming to critics, federal judge James Boasberg reportedly ordered telecommunications companies not to notify lawmakers that their records were being seized.
Patel later declared he had uncovered evidence suggesting the records were obtained “for political purposes.”
“That abuse of power ends now,” Patel wrote on social media. “Under my leadership, the FBI will deliver truth and accountability, and never again be weaponized against the American people.”
For conservatives, the revelations confirmed long-held suspicions that portions of the federal government had been turned against political opponents during the Biden years.
Smith, however, appeared to frame himself as the victim during his remarks at the Cosmos Club.
According to reports, he claimed Trump-appointed officials now care more about pleasing the president than following DOJ norms and traditions. He also suggested the department was avoiding certain investigations because facts might emerge that contradict “inconvenient narratives.”
But critics note that Smith himself became a symbol of exactly the kind of politicized prosecution he now condemns.
John Lauro, one of Trump’s attorneys during the January 6-related investigations, previously described the “Arctic Frost” probe as “simply a DOJ takedown of a political movement.”
Republicans in Congress have increasingly echoed that sentiment.
Jim Jordan and the House Judiciary Committee have launched investigations into what GOP lawmakers describe as the weaponization of federal law enforcement under former President Joe Biden.
Smith’s investigations ultimately failed to produce the political knockout many Democrats hoped for. Key cases against Trump were eventually dropped, while the president successfully returned to office amid growing public backlash against what many Americans viewed as politically selective justice.
Now, as new leadership at the FBI and DOJ begins pulling back the curtain on past investigations, the spotlight is increasingly turning toward the investigators themselves.
And for many conservatives, Jack Smith’s latest complaints about a “corrupted” Justice Department amount to a remarkable case of the pot calling the kettle black.
