DOJ Wants Names of Jack Smith’s Staff to Be Kept a Secret: Judicial Watch

Judicial Watch called DOJ claims that the roster should be kept secret ‘plainly insufficient.’

(Left) Special Counsel Jack Smith delivers remarks in Washington on Aug. 1, 2023. (Right) Former President Donald Trump attends his trial in New York State Supreme Court in New York City on Dec. 7, 2023. Drew Angerer, David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has asked a federal court to keep the names of Trump special prosecutor Jack Smith’s staff a secret, according to a disclosure revealed by Judicial Watch on Wednesday.

Judicial Watch, a conservative-leaning group that has filed numerous Freedom of Information (FOIA) lawsuits, said that it made a FOIA request to the DOJ for “staff rosters, phone lists, or similar records depicting all employees hired by or detailed to [sic] office of Special Counsel Jack Smith,” which was rejected by the DOJ in 2022. Months later, it filed a lawsuit against the department, the group said.