The problem with Jack Smith’s appointment as special counsel

Jack Smith took his first stab this week at defending his legitimacy before an appeals court after a judge found there were “very few, if any” special counsels like him and abruptly blew up his classified documents case against former President Donald Trump.

Cannon, a Trump appointee, took Smith’s serious Espionage Act allegations against the former president and turned them into a case study on special counsel power. The move angered left-leaning legal observers, who criticized her for defying long-standing precedent.