Former special counsel Jack Smith joined more than 900 federal prosecutors in signing a letter that warned President Donald Trump could eliminate a Watergate-era office that fights corruption at the Department of Justice.
"Like you, each of us devoted years of our professional lives to pursuing justice on behalf of the American people," the letter said. "As prosecutors, we were rightly prohibited from making criminal charging decisions based on someone's political association, activities or beliefs, or because of our personal feelings about them. We knew it was impermissible to treat a defendant more leniently just because they were powerful or well-connected, or more harshly because they were not."
The former prosecutors called the values "foundational to a fair and just legal system."
"Against this backdrop, we have watched with alarm as these values have been tested by recent actions of the Department's leadership," the letter continued. "Some of you have been ordered to make charging decisions based expressly on considerations other than the facts and the law, including to serve solely political purposes."
Department prosecutors had expressed concerns that Trump's presidency "will result in the elimination of the Public Integrity Section, created in the wake of the Watergate scandal, and whose vital work is intended to protect the public from government corruption," the letter added.
Smith and the former prosecutors acknowledged that there were now "ethical challenges of a type no public servant should ever be forced to confront."
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"Please know that when you do, generations of former federal prosecutors are watching with pride and admiration and stand ready to support you in this honorable pursuit," they concluded.
Over a half dozen prosecutors have resigned from the Department of Justice after disagreeing with orders from the Trump administration.