Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty
With former President Donald Trump facing a daunting case over his handling and hoarding of classified documents, Republicans in Congress have set their sights on special prosecutor Jack Smith. But for some of these Republicans, Smith isn’t exactly an unfamiliar target.
About a decade ago, Republicans went after the IRS over its scrutiny of Tea Party groups and their charity status. And while Republicans mostly went after Lois Lerner, an IRS official during the Obama administration, the IRS scandal actually had its origins in the offices of an elite team at Department of Justice headquarters—the “public integrity section.”
At PIN, as it’s called, experienced federal lawyers investigate politicians and government officials all over the country. When they’re not filing criminal charges in court, they’re advising law enforcement on sensitive investigations. Their job is to root out corruption and keep America clean. And that was where Smith entered the picture, on the eve of a serious shakeup.