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Jack Smith, the experienced war crimes prosecutor who unveiled an unprecedented federal indictment against former US president Donald J Trump, is no stranger to high-profile probes of public figures. The Department of Justice veteran returned to the US last November after being appointed a special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland. The first mission was to consider, “whether any person or entity violated the law in connection with efforts to interfere with the lawful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election or the certification of the electoral college vote held on or about January 6, 2021”. The second, which led to Mr Trump being indicted and arraigned in 37 federal charges, was about whether the former president had violated US laws prohibiting unlawful retention of national defence information and obstruction of justice. It marks the first time in US history that an ex-president — let alone one who is a declared candidate in the next presidential election — faces criminal charges. But Mr Trump will not be first public figure who Mr Smith has put in the dock. From 2010 to 2015, he oversaw anti-corruption prosecutions against multiple US politicians in his role as the head of the Department of Justice public integrity section. One of those cases was against former Virginia governor Robert McDonnell, a Republican against whom he secured a conviction on bribery charges, though the case was later thrown out by the US Supreme Court. He also won a conviction of former GOP Representative Rick Renzi of Arizona, who received a sentence of three years in prison before being pardoned by Mr Trump. A Harvard Law School graduate, Mr Smith also served in prosecutorial roles in US Attorney offices in the Middle District of Tennessee and the Eastern District of New York. Prior to his appointment by Mr Garland, Mr Smith lived in the Dutch city of The Hague, where he has been serving as a “specialist prosecutor” overseeing investigations into war crimes in Kosovo since 2018. He also served as a coordinator of investigations for the prosecutor’s office at the International Criminal Court from 2008 to 2010, where he worked on cases against foreign government officials and members of militias accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Yet will even that be ample preparation for the punishing national spotlight to which he will now be subjected, including Mr Trump’s infamous social media broadsides? Following the indictment in June, Mr Trump lashed out at Mr Smith, accusing him of being a “Trump hater” and “a deranged ’psycho’ that shouldn’t be involved in any case having to do with ‘justice,’ other than to look at Biden as a criminal – which he is!” Subsequently, Mr Trump’s allies and supporters began attacking Mr Smith, including Kimberly Guilfoyle, Matt Gaetz and Mark Levin. “Special Counsel Jack Smith is atrocious,” MAGA War Room tweeted on 13 June. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced an appropriations rider to the House floor on Tuesday (12 June) to “defund Jack Smith’s Special Counsel, his office and the investigation.” Ms Greene said: “This is a weaponized government attempt to take down the top political enemy and leading presidential candidate of the United States Donald J. Trump.” Mr Smith kept an even keel in his response. “Adherence to the rule of law is a bedrock principle of the Department of Justice, and our nation’s commitment to the rule of law sets an example for the world,” he told reporters later that day. “We have one set of laws in this country and they apply to everyone.” Read More Trump indictment – live: Trump denounces ‘evil and heinous’ arraignment in address to fans at golf club Trump turns his day in court into a campaign event despite serious political and legal threats Trump pleads not guilty as he makes history as first president to be criminally charged – twice Trump pleads not guilty as he makes history as first president to be criminally charged – twice Special counsel Jack Smith stared at Trump throughout historic court appearance, report says Supporters pray over Trump and sing him ‘Happy Birthday’ immediately after arrest

Jessica White proclaimed in her note that she put her all into her relationship with Nick Cannon and 'gave eight ride-or-die years' to him

The Cardinals and Giants reminded fans of the rivalry of old with Jack Flaherty and Lamonte Wade Jr. getting in a heated exchange that cleared the benches.Though they play quite a ways apart from one another, there is a heated history between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants. The...

Heading into Game 2 of this interleague series in Minnesota, the Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers are both in battles for the top spot in their respective divisions. Milwaukee with the Pirates in the NL Central and Minnesota with the Guardians in the AL Central.Tonight, the Twins will hand ...

Prosecutors have charged a Los Angeles city councilman with embezzlement and perjury in the latest criminal case to upend the scandal-plagued governing board of the nation’s second-largest city

Teresa Giudice drew flak after fans pointed out that she once hinted that Jaqueline Laurita's son's autism was her 'karma'

Christine Brown recently took to social media, delighting fans with a heartfelt picture with her beloved daughters Aspyn, Mykelti, Gwendlyn, Ysabel, and Truely

Donald Trump urged prosecutors to drop the charges against him and insisted on his innocence in his first

HGTV star Jonathan Scott says he's working on 'open dialogue' with girlfried Zooey Deschanel's children

Vice President Kamala Harris offered a rallying cry to Black voters during a Juneteenth celebration at the White

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON A U.S. judge late on Tuesday granted the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) request to

Donald Trump’s four years in the White House were punctuated by the spectacle and attempts at showmanship he cultivated from years as a tabloid fixture and reality star