The US workplace of particular counsel, an unbiased federal company, confirmed to NBC Information that it’s investigating former Division of Justice prosecutor Jack Smith for potential violations of the Hatch Act.
Smith led investigations into Donald Trump’s half within the 6 January US Capitol riot and alleged mishandling of labeled paperwork.
It comes as senior Republican lawmakers condemn the choice of their celebration chief, Trump, to fire the main US labor market statistician after a report that confirmed the nationwide economic system added simply 73,000 jobs – far fewer than anticipated – in July.
Trump claimed, with out proof, that the numbers have been “RIGGED with the intention to make the Republicans, and ME, look dangerous” and the US economic system was, actually, “BOOMING” on his watch.
Listed below are the important thing US politics tales of the day:
Inquiry into ex-special counsel Jack Smith over Trump investigations
The affirmation of an investigation into Jack Smith comes after Arkansas senator Tom Cotton, a Republican, requested final week that Smith be investigated for “unprecedented interference within the 2024 election”.
The Hatch Act, a federal regulation handed in 1939, limits sure political actions of federal staff. Trump, together with different outstanding Republican lawmakers, have argued that Smith’s investigations into Trump amounted to unlawful political exercise.
Smith finally introduced two prison indictments towards Trump in 2023 however resigned in January this 12 months earlier than both got here to trial.
Republicans slam Trump’s firing of Bureau of Labor Statistics chief
The firing of Erika McEntarfer, who had been confirmed to her function in January 2024 throughout Joe Biden’s presidency, has alarmed members of Trump’s personal celebration.
“If the president is firing the statistician as a result of he doesn’t just like the numbers however they’re correct, then that’s an issue,” stated Wyoming Republican senator Cynthia Lummis. “It’s not the statistician’s fault if the numbers are correct and that they’re not what the president had hoped for.”
Kentucky senator Rand Paul, one other Republican, questioned whether or not McEntarfer’s firing was an efficient means of enhancing the numbers.
Donald Trump says he considers Sean ‘“Diddy” Combs “type of half-innocent” regardless of his criminal conviction in federal court in July – however the president referred to as pardoning the music mogul “harder” due to previous criticism.
“After I ran for workplace, he was very hostile,” Trump stated of the Unhealthy Boy Data founder. “It’s onerous, ? We’re human beings. And we don’t prefer to have issues cloud our judgment, proper? However while you knew somebody and also you have been nice, and you then run for workplace, and he made some horrible statements.”
Combs was discovered responsible on 2 July of two counts of transportation to interact in prostitution, with every leaving him dealing with as much as 10 years in jail – however he was acquitted of extra severe sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy prices.
Evaluation: Durham disclosures additional undermine Gabbard’s claims of plot towards Trump
Tulsi Gabbard, the director of US nationwide intelligence, hoped to uncover proof that Barack Obama and his nationwide safety workforce conspired to undermine Donald Trump in a slow-motion coup.
However a beforehand labeled annexe to a report by one other particular counsel, John Durham – appointed in direction of the tip of Trump’s first presidency – has additional undermined Gabbard’s case.
It confirms that Russian spies have been behind the emails that have been initially launched as the results of a Russian cyber-hack of inner Democratic info channels and which Trump supporters believed confirmed the marketing campaign of Hillary Clinton, his 2016 opponent, conspiring to accuse him of colluding with Moscow.
What else occurred as we speak:
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The Trump administration terminated 1,902 National Institutes of Health grants totalling greater than $4.4bn between January and the tip of July, based on Grant Witness information. NIH adopted steerage from the so-called “division of presidency effectivity” (Doge) and Trump’s government orders to chop prices.
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In line with Donald Trump’s White Home, the US economic system is booming, inflation is lifeless and jobs are surging. A blizzard of financial reviews has cast a pall on such claims in recent days.
Catching up? Here’s what happened 1 August 2025.