Former special counsel Jack Smith made his first public statement in months amid a Hatch Act investigation, rebutting accusations of wrongdoing.

Smith was prompted to respond after Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) persuaded the Office of Special Counsel to launch a Hatch Act violation investigation into Smith. Smith and his lawyers, Lanny Breuer and Peter Koski, rejected the allegations in a three-page letter to the acting special counsel, Jamieson Greer, a copy of which was obtained by the New York Times.