The US Department of Justice on Friday appointed Jack Smith, the former attorney general of the special war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, to oversee two criminal investigations involving former American President Donald Trump.

“Attorney General [e também secretário de Justiça] Merrick B. Garland announced today the appointment of former Justice Department career prosecutor and former Chief Prosecutor of The Hague Special Court, Jack Smith. […] to oversee the two ongoing criminal investigations,” he said.

Donald Trump is under investigation for his role in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, his attempts to cancel the 2020 election, and for hiding classified documents at his residence in Mar-a-Lago.

The businessman announced this week that he plans to run for president again in 2024, but for that he will have to go through the Republican primaries.

After his name was revealed, Smith pledged to conduct investigations against Trump “independently and in the Department of Justice’s best traditions.”

“Under my supervision, the pace of investigations will not stall or slow down. I will exercise independent judgment and advance the investigations swiftly and thoroughly according to the outcome dictated by the facts and the law,” Smith said.

According to the American TV network CNN, Smith began his career in 1994 as an assistant district attorney at the New York County District Attorney’s Office. police murdered by rights violations and gangs

In 2008 he worked at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where he led war crimes investigations. Two years later, Smith became head of the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Division.

Smith was appointed Acting U.S. Attorney General in 2017 and became Attorney General of the special court in The Hague the following year.

“Jack Smith has built a reputation throughout his career as an impartial and determined prosecutor, focused on following the truth wherever it leads and leading teams with energy. Mr. Smith is the right choice to get these issues impartial and impartial. Urgent,” Garland said.

*According to the information provided by the AFP news agency