Former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office bent its own purchasing rules to acquire forensic video software days before its indictment of President Donald Trump regarding the 2020 election, according to Justice Department records released by the Oversight Project. The documents, obtained through the Oversight Project’s Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, land before Smith testifies Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee concerning his lawfare against Trump. They raise new questions about whether his office followed appropriate legal and ethical standards and what video Smith needed so urgently.
The records show that on June 26, 2023, Smith’s Litigation Support asked Axon Investigate, a component of Axon Enterprises, for its services “for converting all types of video and audio files including lots of proprietary types we receive.” The “proprietary” video or videos and audio Smith sought have never been identified. But law enforcement officials showed little restraint in their lawfare of Trump. Most notoriously, FBI agents raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in August 2022, even ransacking Melania Trump’s wardrobe, acquiring surveillance footage. The opaqueness of Smith’s lawfare is striking, even years later. Smith’s work with Axon is no exception.
