President Donald Trump has suggested that former Department of Justice (DOJ) special counsel Jack Smith to be criminally charged, and Smith has even said he expects an indictment during his recent testimony before the House Judiciary Committee. But one of Smith's former colleagues said Republicans aren't likely to be successful in prosecuting him.
In a Thursday segment on CNN's "The Source," Karen Friedman Agnifilo — who worked alongside Smith in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office — told host Kaitlan Collins that her former colleague doesn't have "anything to hide," and that he'll continue to be willing to talk about his two investigations into Trump at length, in public. She further argued that his words "words spoke for themselves, and couldn't be mischaracterized."
"He's proud ofhis work, and he knows that heis a target," she said. "The administrationhas made it very clear thathe's a target, but I don'tthink he's worried aboutanything because he knows hedidn't do anything wrong."
Collins responded that Trump has accused Smith of perjury, and that Republicans on the Judiciary Committee sought to make the argument that Smith was targeting the president "for political purposes." Agnifilo conceded that while the Trump DOJ may "try to find something," that didn't mean any charges would stick.
"We all sawwhat happened [on January 6, 2021]. And Jack Smith investigated it and heinvestigated. He followed thefacts wherever they lead,without fear or favor. Thosewere words that he used. That'show we're all trained asprosecutors, to do that," she said. "And youdon't have an outcome in mind.And he said that once he didthat, once he followed thosebreadcrumbs, it led to oneplace. It led to Donald Trump."
"And it's very different thantoday's Justice Department,where they target an individual,and then they look for whateverthey can find to try and pin iton them," she continued. "We'll see if there'sanything that they'll be able tofind that Jack Smith could havedone. I think it's going to bevery difficult."
"He's a verystraight shooter. He always hasbeen. He's always been somebodywho does the right thing. He'snever been political," she added. "Icouldn't tell you, even thoughwe worked together years ago, Icouldn't tell you what hispolitical leanings are, left orright. He he's just a very kindof by-the-book guy who tries todo the right thing."