WASHINGTON D.C.—Who is Jack Smith? Whether you regard him as a villain or a hero, he has captured the attention of the Nation in his role as Special Counsel prosecuting former President Donald J. Trump.

Jack Luman Smith was born on June 5, 1969 (54 years old) and has served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the United States Department of Justice and the head of the department’s Public Integrity Section. He also served as chief prosecutor at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, which is an international tribunal assigned with investigating and prosecuting war crimes in the Kosovo war.

Mr. Smith married Katy Chevigny in 2011 and they have one daughter. Ms. Chevigny is an American documentary filmmaker who has produced or directed more than 30 documentary films. In December 2020 “Becoming,” a documentary film about the former First Lady Michelle Obama, was released by Netflix. The film was produced by Higher Ground Productions. The couple lived in the Netherlands from 2018 until 2022 before returning to Washington, D.C.

He earned his BA at State University of New York at Oneonta and his JD from Harvard University in 1994. In November 2022, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith as independent special counsel responsible for investigating the two preexisting Justice Department’s criminal investigations into former President Donald J. Trump.

The first investigation is into President Trump’s role in the January 6th Capital riot and the other is into the alleged mishandling of government records, including classified documents. The documents case resulted in a 37-count indictment and January 6th case resulted in a 4-count indictment. In 2014, Virgina Governor Bob McDonald and his wife, Maureen, were indicted by Smith on federal corruption charges for receiving improper gifts and loans from a Virginia businessman. On September 4, 2014, the couple was convicted of most of the charges and the Governor received a two-year prison sentence. McDonald was out on bond during the appeal process. On June 27, 2016, the Supreme Court of the United States unanimously overturned the conviction and remanded the case to a lower court. Less than 3 months later the Justice Department announced that they would not seek to retry the case and dismissed the charges against the Governor and his wife. The legal bills to defend against the case cost McDonald over $27 million dollars.

As an assistant U.S. Attorney at the Brooklyn based office, Smith prosecuted the police officers who were accused of brutalizing and sexually assaulting Abner Louima. He led the case towards the death penalty, which was later overturned.

Jack Smith’s career has been filled with hits and misses over the years. As the drama unfolds in America’s courtrooms, stay tuned for the fireworks which are sure to ensue.

By Gabriella Martino